Who Is Liable When Crashes Happen on Indianapolis Airport Property?

September 22, 2026

• Accidents are common at Indianapolis International Airport, especially in parking structures and at arrivals/departures. In many cases, there may be multiple liable parties, including the government agency that runs the airport.
• When the government is responsible for your Indianapolis Airport crash, your time to start the claims process shrinks from two years to 180 days. If you miss that, there is no recourse.
• To make sure you make all your deadlines and correctly pursue your claim, work with an Indianapolis car accident attorney who can determine liability and help you get what you deserve.

Flight delays. Interminably long lines. Endless taxiing. $14 pretzels. There’s pretty much nothing pleasant about the modern flying experience, and that very much includes driving at the airport. If you are going to Indianapolis International Airport (IND), getting around in your car can be just as stressful as flying.

Unfortunately, crashes are common at the Indianapolis Airport. And accidents on airport property can be much more complicated than you might expect. Depending on the circumstances, your time to start a claim against the liable parties can shrink considerably.

Determining who is liable is a key part of your case and needs to be done quickly. It isn’t always easy. For this reason, if you are involved in an accident at IND, you may want to contact an Indianapolis car accident lawyer who knows the law along with the ins and outs of the airport and can help you get the financial recovery you need to keep flying forward.

Why Accidents Occur at the Indianapolis Airport

No one has ever enjoyed driving around at the airport. People are running late and stressed out. Signs can be confusing. Drivers might have just gotten off a long flight and are in a blind hurry to get home. Not a single person is driving with leisure in mind. It is a combustible mix.

There are three main places at IND where accidents are most likely to occur:

1. Parking Areas. The parking structure is tight and crowded with people driving around looking for spots. Other people are backing out. Not only that, there can be missing signage, bad lighting, or other infrastructure issues. The lots might be more open but are scarcely easier to drive.
2. Arrivals and Departures. This is where people drive the worst, changing lanes and starting and stopping suddenly. Everyone is looking everywhere except at other cars. Rideshares are all over, trying to get to the next fare. This is another place where a combination of bad signage and bad drivers can cause a lot of trouble.
3. Access Roads and I-70 Connectors. Perimeter Road, Cook Memorial, Washington Street: they can each get you in and out of the airport. Some access roads are on airport property, and some are controlled by the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT). All of them are hectic, confusing, fast-moving, and prone to accidents.

While the other driver could be at fault in all of these accidents, so could whomever does the signage, lanes, or infrastructure. That’s what makes these cases complicated…and that’s what could shorten your time to file a claim.

Airport Property and the 180-Day Rule

As you might have guessed, the roads at the airport are not normal. Airport property is controlled by a government agency known as the Indianapolis Airport Authority (IAA). It owns IND, as well as its access roads, its parking structures, its terminals, and even its curbs. An accident on 1-70 just outside the airport could be entirely private, but it is an IAA matter on the access roads.

This is important because the Indiana Tort Claims Act (Indiana Code § 34-13-3) only gives you 180 days to file a Notice of Tort Claim against a government agency. This is not the same as filing a claim – it gives the government a chance to do its own investigation and choose whether to offer a settlement or reject your claim. Based on what the government does, you can then decide to pursue a claim.

But the government might not be the only liable party. Let’s say you are pulling into the garage and a misplaced sign sends someone the wrong way. The driver should have been paying attention, but the lighting was also very bad, and it was hard to see around the corner.

So who is at fault? Some of the liable parties could include:

• The other driver for just plowing through a one-way
• The IAA for not maintaining or constructing the parking garage properly
• The private operator of the parking garage for misplaced signs and general neglect

In the first and third instances, you should have up to two years to file your claim. In the second, you’ll probably only have 180 days. You may ultimately want to file claims against all three, but you have to start much more quickly if a government agency is involved.

All claims following a car crash are complex; that’s why Indianapolis residents demand information about what to do. They are even more complex when the Indianapolis International Airport is involved. You have to determine liability and make sure you file the Notice of Tort Claim on time – otherwise you could miss your chance to get the financial recovery you need to pay your bills and be made whole.

It’s not easy. That’s why we don’t recommend doing it alone.

Indianapolis Car Accident Attorneys Who Can Help with Your Airport Crash

A crash at the Indianapolis Airport can ruin your trip. Not pursuing your claim correctly can ruin years of your life.  The Indianapolis car accident lawyers who can make sure that won’t happen are 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 Indianapolis car accident attorney.