Car Accidents on Notre Dame Game Days: What South Bend Drivers Need to Know

October 13, 2026

• Notre Dame game days bring a lot of attention and excitement to South Bend, IN, but also a lot of cars. Drivers can be excited, aggressive, confused, and sometimes overserved – and that can lead to accidents.
• What you do after an accident is crucial to your case. There are four potential police jurisdictions as well as many potentially liable parties who’ll have to be tracked down.
• Having a skilled South Bend car accident lawyer who knows how to play the game the right way can be key to getting the financial recovery you deserve.

It’s game day in South Bend. It’s time to wake up the echoes and march onward to victory. But unless you live on campus, you probably aren’t really marching to the game – you’re driving. You and 80,000 of your closest green-and-gold-clad friends.

Even if you aren’t going to the game, you know how South Bend traffic can become a nightmare. Drivers are confused, aggressive, sometimes under the influence, and always in a hurry to get there or leave. They don’t always know the area either.  It can make car accidents on Notre Dame game days nearly inevitable.

South Bend drivers need to know the laws around these crashes in order to protect themselves and get the financial compensation they deserve.  If you are in an accident on game day, hiring a South Bend car accident lawyer who will be fightin’ for you may be your best play.

Why Notre Dame Game Days Have a Higher Crash Risk

Traffic in South Bend is never great. The interstate brings thousands of trucks near and to the city every day. There are always accidents on US-31, the major north-south road in Indiana. And the confluence of a busy industrial city and several large colleges means that there could be a lot of out-of-state drivers unfamiliar with the street layout.

Some of the factors that explain why game days can be so dangerous for South Bend drivers include:

• Too many cars trying to get to too small a place, Notre Dame Stadium. These cars could be coming north on 31 or getting off the interstate and heading down Douglas Road.
• Unfamiliarity with the area. Some people go to every game. For thousands, it is their first game. Directions are relatively straightforward, but many drivers are surprised by the number of turns and the relatively narrow streets. And many stay in the city overnight and have to get to Notre Dame in the morning.
• Time constraints. Getting to the game or your tailgate is never easy. And after the game, people are in a rush to get home. That can lead to aggressive driving.
• The influence of alcohol. Unfortunately, tailgating accidents are a big problem, especially when people have been drinking. This exacerbates every other problem.
• Streets not designed for this much traffic. South Bend and Notre Dame have tried to improve infrastructure, but there is only so much an older town and a campus that wants to remain bucolic can do when we’re only talking about six to eight days a year.

But regardless of the cause of your game day car accident, what happens afterward could make or break any claim you might have.

What South Bend Drivers Should Do After an Accident

The first thing you’ll want to do is call 911. The responding police will file an accident report, which will be crucial to your case. There are four potential police departments in Greater South Bend who may respond to your call:

• On Campus: The Notre Dame Police Department handles incidents on campus and the order roads of 31, Douglas, Angela, and Twyckenham.
• South Bend: The South Bend Police Department.
• Unincorporated St. Joseph County: The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Office.
• Indiana Toll Road: Any accident on the Toll Road is the jurisdiction of the Indiana State Police.

This doesn’t matter the moment of the accident; you don’t have to call around until you find the right people. But obtaining your accident report is important, so knowing which body to contact is key.

Aside from contacting the authorities, make sure you gather evidence. Take pictures of the crash, including the other car. Take pictures of its license plate. If there’s any construction or a traffic light is out, make a note of that: the city or county could share liability. Talk to witnesses and get their contact information. Protect your case.

And even if the accident was caused by an out-of-state driver, remember that Indiana laws should apply. The same goes if you have an out-of-state plate (common for many students). You are under Indiana law no matter who hit you.

Insurance companies may try to use everything against you in order to shift blame. They might drag out negotiations until your time to file a claim has passed. They may attempt to run out the clock. They could look for excuses to keep from paying for your medical bills, your lost wages, and your pain and suffering.

You need someone on your team. You need a South Bend car accident lawyer who gets you into the end zone.

Reach Out to Our Experienced South Bend Car Accident Attorneys

Some lawyers do the bare minimum. That’s not for you. You need a team of lawyers who treat every day of your life like game day, like the South Bend car accident lawyers at Hensley Legal Group, PC, a dedicated Indiana personal injury law firm whose experienced attorneys have been fighting on behalf of the wrongfully injured since 1998.

Simply call us at (317) 472-3333, chat with us online, or fill out our contact form now for a free consultation with a knowledgeable South Bend car accident attorney.