Dayton Sits at One of the Midwest's Busiest Trucking Crossroads

The interchange of I-75 and I-70 just north of Dayton is one of the most heavily traveled freight corridors in the country. Thousands of semi-trucks pass through Montgomery County every day on I-75, I-70, I-675, and U.S. 35 — and when a fatigued, overloaded, or poorly maintained truck collides with a passenger car, the results are catastrophic for the people in the smaller vehicle.

A fully loaded tractor-trailer can weigh 80,000 pounds — roughly 20 times the weight of your car. Victims of truck crashes commonly suffer traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, multiple fractures, and internal injuries that require months or years of treatment.

No Fee Unless We Win: Truck accident cases are expensive to build — expert witnesses, reconstruction, records battles. We advance those costs and charge no attorney fee unless we recover for you. Call 937-236-6444.

Truck Cases Are Not Just Big Car Accident Cases

Commercial trucking is governed by federal safety regulations that don't apply to ordinary drivers — limits on driving hours, mandatory inspections, drug and alcohol testing, cargo securement rules, and driver qualification standards. When a trucking company or driver violates these rules and someone gets hurt, those violations become powerful evidence of negligence.

Interstate carriers are also required to carry far more insurance than ordinary drivers — usually $750,000 or more, compared to Ohio's $25,000 minimum for cars. That money matters when your injuries are serious, but it also means the trucking company's insurer will fight harder, often sending investigators to the crash scene the same day.

Multiple Parties May Owe You Compensation

Unlike a typical two-driver crash, a truck accident can involve several liable parties:

  • The truck driver — fatigue, distraction, impairment, speeding
  • The trucking company — negligent hiring, unrealistic schedules, poor maintenance
  • The cargo loader — shifted or overweight loads
  • Maintenance contractors — brake and tire failures
  • Parts manufacturers — defective components

We identify every responsible party and every applicable insurance policy, because settling against only one can leave money on the table.

The Evidence Race Starts Immediately

The most important evidence in a truck case — electronic logging device (ELD) data, black-box speed and braking data, driver logs, inspection records, dash-cam footage — is in the trucking company's hands. Some of it can be legally overwritten in a matter of weeks. One of the first things we do is send a spoliation (preservation) letter demanding that all of it be preserved, then follow up with formal discovery.

Ohio Law Still Sets the Ground Rules

Ohio's two-year statute of limitations for personal injury applies to truck crashes, along with the state's modified comparative negligence rule — you can recover if you were not more than 50% at fault, reduced by your percentage. Cases that don't settle are typically filed in the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas or, when federal issues dominate, in the U.S. District Court in Dayton. Terry Posey has practiced in both for over 30 years.

Related pages: Car Accidents · Motorcycle Accidents · Wrongful Death · All Personal Injury Services

Truck Accident FAQs

How is a truck accident case different from a car accident case?

Federal regulations, multiple liable parties, bigger insurance policies, and time-sensitive evidence like ELD data. Truck cases are higher-stakes and defended more aggressively — the insurer often starts investigating the same day as the crash.

Who can be held liable?

Potentially the driver, the trucking company, the trailer owner, the cargo loader, a maintenance contractor, or a parts manufacturer — often more than one. We investigate all of them.

What evidence matters most?

Black-box and ELD data, driver logs and qualification files, maintenance records, and dash-cam footage. Because the trucking company controls this evidence, a preservation letter needs to go out immediately.

How long do I have to file?

Generally two years from the date of the crash under Ohio law — but the practical deadline for preserving trucking evidence is measured in weeks, not years. Call as soon as you can.