Columbus truck accident & injury lawyer

Columbus traffic funnels onto a handful of roads. I-65 runs down the west side of the city. State Road 46 crosses it at the main exit and carries drivers over the river into downtown. And U.S. 31 (National Road) handles the north-south traffic on the east side. Factory shift changes and freight headed for I-65 share those same lanes with school and commuter traffic. If you got hurt in a crash in Columbus or anywhere in Bartholomew County, here's the local information that matters for a claim. You don't have to come to an office. We can do your consultation by phone or video, and you can sign up by e-signature.

Where Columbus crashes happen, by the local numbers

The Columbus Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) studied five years of crash records, 2020 through 2024, for its transportation plan. Across the planning area it counted 7,971 vehicle crashes. Forty-seven of them involved a death, and 1,860 involved an injury.

• I-65 had the most crashes of any corridor, 1,025, with 9 deaths.
• U.S. 31 was close behind at 997 crashes, then SR 46 at 591 and 25th Street at 485.
• The single worst intersection was 25th Street and U.S. 31. 25th Street at Taylor Road, 10th Street at Marr Road, and 10th Street at National Road also ranked high.
• Rear-end crashes were the most common type, followed by run-off-the-road and right-angle crashes.
• Crashes peaked in the morning rush (7 to 9 a.m.) and again from 3 to 6 p.m.

Those are planning-area totals, so they include roads outside city limits. Read them as a map of where the risk is, not a count for any one year.

Interstate and factory traffic

Columbus has a large manufacturing base, and its plants and warehouses depend on trucks moving between I-65 and the industrial parks. A crash with a semi on I-65 or SR 46 can involve more than one company. The driver's employer, whoever loaded the trailer, or a repair shop may share the blame. Federal rules on driving hours and truck inspections may apply. Truck data, like electronic logs and camera footage, isn't always kept for long. That's why asking early for it to be saved can matter.

Getting your crash report

Inside city limits, the Columbus Police Department usually takes the report. Its Records Division is in the police department lobby at 123 Washington Street. It's open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., except holidays. The city says a public copy of a State Accident Report is ready two business days after the crash and costs $5. You can also get it online from BuyCrash. Bring the report number or the date, the location, and the names of the people involved. The Records number is (812) 376-2653.

If the crash was in the county, outside the city, the Bartholomew County Sheriff's Office at 543 Second Street usually handles it. Crashes on I-65 are often worked by the Indiana State Police, which also sells its reports through BuyCrash. Our crash report guide walks through the rest. When you get the report, read the diagram and the officer's notes closely. Mistakes are easier to fix early.

Emergency care in Columbus

Columbus Regional Hospital, at 2400 East 17th Street, has the area's 24-hour emergency department. The emergency entrance (Entrance 1) is open around the clock. For anything serious, call 911. Columbus Regional Health also runs the county's ambulance service. Some injuries, like a concussion or a neck or back strain, can take a day or two to show up. So see a doctor soon after the crash. That puts your injuries on record.

The Bartholomew County courts

An injury lawsuit from a Columbus crash would usually be filed in Bartholomew County, at the courthouse at 234 Washington Street downtown. The county has a Circuit Court and two Superior Courts. The county lists car-crash cases among those Superior Court I hears. The courts moved back into the courthouse in August 2025. Indiana's venue rules sometimes allow a case to be filed in another county, for example where a company being sued is based.

Our nearest office

Our south-side Indianapolis office, at 4202 Madison Avenue, is the closest to Columbus. It's about 43 miles, or roughly 50 minutes, straight down I-65. You don't have to make the drive to get started. Call 1-800-265-9881 or use the form above.

Hiring us from Columbus without an office visit

You can hire Poynter & Bucheri from Columbus without visiting an office. We can talk through what happened in a free phone or video consultation. When you're ready, we'll email you the sign-up papers, and you can sign them electronically from your phone or computer. There's no appointment to drive to. If English isn't your first language, we have access to professional interpretation. Call 1-800-265-9881 or fill out the form above to get started.

Claims we take from Columbus

We handle semi and commercial truck crashes, car accidents, falls at stores and businesses, motorcycle crashes, pedestrian and bicycle injuries, dog bites, and wrongful death claims. In a rear-end crash on 25th Street or U.S. 31, Indiana law says a driver may not follow more closely than is reasonable and prudent (IC 9-21-8-14). That doesn't settle fault by itself. The facts decide it. And the other side's insurer may claim you were partly at fault.

Interstate truck crash guides for this area:

• I-65 truck accidents

Deadlines to know

In most Indiana injury cases you have two years from the crash to file suit (IC 34-11-2-4). The clock runs much shorter when a government vehicle or property is involved, such as a city truck or a county road defect. Written notice is due within 180 days for a local government and 270 days for the State. Indiana uses comparative fault (IC 34-51-2). Any share of fault put on you lowers what you can recover, and if your share is more than 50%, you recover nothing.

General information only—not legal advice. Laws change and every case is different; deadlines can be shorter in some situations. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.