What to Do in the First 24 Hours After a Truck Accident in Fishers, IN

June 18, 2026

• Truck accidents are some of the scariest and most dangerous events in traffic, and your problems don’t might not end with the crash. Trucking companies often have large legal teams dedicated to avoiding liability.
• It is important to gather evidence, both on the scene and through the truck’s Electronic Data Recorder. It might also be necessary to obtain driver records, maintenance reports, internal communications, and other materials that show that the truck company is at fault.
• That’s not easy for you to do. But an experienced Fishers truck accident lawyer who knows the system can fight to get you the compensation you deserve.

There is almost nothing on the road scarier than getting into an accident with a full-sized truck. A loaded semi can be as much as 30 times heavier than your car, and it can cause a devastating accident when moving at speed.  If you have the misfortune of being in a truck accident in Fishers, IN, your life can change in an instant.

While you might think these would be easy claims to win, they are not as simple as they seem given the unfair size disparity. Truck companies know how to avoid liability, and when you are dealing with an Amazon delivery truck accident in Fishers, or even with a truck accident involving a smaller company, the difference between you and them is even larger than between their truck and your car.

That’s why it is so important to move fast. Gathering evidence and making sure that you have all the tools you need is crucial to getting the settlement you deserve. Contacting an experienced Fishers truck accident lawyer can help you move through the first 24 hours and beyond.

Immediately Following the Crash: Gathering Evidence

The most important thing to do immediately following a crash is dealing with any injuries. If you can move your car safely to the side of the road, you should, since it is safer away from traffic, but if you can’t, don’t force the issue.

While there are some accidents that don’t require calling the police, most of them do. Truck accidents virtually always will. If you are on I-69 in Fishers, the Indiana State Police should arrive. Otherwise, you will be working with the local Fishers police department.

One thing the authorities will do is file a police report. They will gather statements, issue citations, and potentially take pictures and attempt to assign blame. But this is not the end of the evidence gathering process. You can and should do more yourself if possible.

For instance, talk to witnesses and take pictures. Get as much information as you can. Truck accidents frequently generate critical visual evidence that can help tell the story. Some of this evidence includes:

• Skid marks
• Debris fields
• Fluid spills
• Vehicle placement

Investigators can use this visual evidence to determine what happened. Other evidence might come from municipal or retail cameras, so it is important to figure out what is at the scene that could benefit your case.

The Importance of Contacting a Truck Accident Lawyer

When you are in a car accident, it is your insurance company versus that of the other driver. This is simplified, but we understand that the field is more level. When you are going up against a trucking company – especially a large freight carrier with deep pockets and powerful legal teams – the fight is less even.

That’s why it is important to contact, as soon as possible, experienced truck accident lawyers in Fishers who know how to fight and win for you. Here are some of the ways that these types of lawyers can help build your case.

Going Deeper: Truck Data as Evidence

One of the most important pieces of evidence in a truck accident is the Event Data Recorder, commonly known as the “black box.” These are not like the black boxes in an airplane, where you can hear the pilot saying things like “well that’s not right” in that calm pilot voice, but they do take snapshots of exactly what is happening at the moment of impact.

Some of the evidence gathered from the black box includes:

• Engine speed (RPM)
• Velocity before impact
• Status of the accelerator pedal
• Brake pedal on-off status/hard braking
• Steering wheel angle
• Seatbelt usage
• Cruise control engagement
• Deceleration events
• Airbag deployment

All of this can be used to understand what the driver was doing and how he or she was reacting. This data usually gets overwritten regularly unless there is a crash, in which case it is supposed to be preserved.

“Supposed to be” is the key phrase here. The black box data, along with other important data collected from Electronic Control Modules, is only legally required to be kept for 60 days (approximately) without formal notice.

That means you need to act quickly. And you need to have a legal team that knows how to make sure truck companies uphold their duties.

How Experienced Truck Accident Lawyers Preserve Evidence

There are a lot of cases where companies, through neglect, indifference, or malice, overwrite data. Records get lost. Key pieces of evidence disappear in the wind. So it goes.

But it shouldn’t go that way, and your Fishers truck accident lawyer can make sure that it doesn’t. One way to preserve evidence in an Indiana truck accident case is to send a “spoliation letter,” a legal notice that all evidence must be preserved under penalty of law. These letters aren’t suggestions; they have teeth if you have a legal team that knows how to use them.

This will ensure that the companies preserve the electronic evidence. But they will also have to preserve all other the evidence that could shine negative a light on them. Some of this evidence includes:

• Truck maintenance records
• Driver safety reports
• Driver training logs
• Driver Qualification Files (DQFs)
• Motor Vehicle Records (MVRs)
• Drug and alcohol tests
• Inspection reports
• Bills of lading
• Internal memos

For you, winning your case means getting medical bills paid. It means collecting lost wages. It means getting recompense for your pain and suffering. But trucking companies often do whatever they can to stop you. They hide or lose evidence. They refuse to be forthcoming. They dodge and shift blame. They run out the clock.

That can be frustrating. It’s not fair. That’s why it is important to have lawyers who can move quickly and get you the results you deserve.

Reach Out to Our Fishers Truck Accident Attorneys

When you are in an accident with a truck, it might feel like David vs. Goliath. But working with a team that knows the law and how to stand up to large trucking companies can give you more than a slingshot.

The lawyers who will fight for you are the Fishers truck 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 Fishers truck accident attorney.