Interstate 70 is one of the major roadways that passes through the central portion of Indiana, traveling east to west and west to east to connect Indianapolis to several rural and urban towns. The entire length of the Indiana portion of the interstate is 156.6 miles long, crossing from Illinois into Indiana through Terre Haute and then into Ohio via Richmond. This direct line between states and metropolitan areas creates heavy flows of freight traffic moving through Indiana, resulting in dangerous accidents involving semis and other heavy trucks.
In fact, I-70 has such a high concentration of truck accidents that in order to do a proper examination of the 2025 crash trends for the interstate, it is best to analyze it in sections. This blog will focus on the portion between Indianapolis and Richmond, which stretches across Marion, Henry, Hancock and Wayne counties. Over the course of 2025, preliminary data from Semicrashmap.com cited a total of 90 accidents that involved semi-trucks on this portion of I-70. More than half of those were determined to be caused by the semi/commercial motor vehicle driver.
Here is a closer look at the semi accidents that occurred on I-70 in 2025 and what trends motorists should look out for.
About I-70
The entire length of I-70 begins near Cove Fort, Utah, and ends in Woodlawn, Maryland. The portion that cuts through the center of Indiana provides drivers with direct access to Indianapolis.
Where the eastern portion of I-70 travels through Indianapolis, the interstate follows the east side of Downtown concurrent with I-65. The two major interchanges at each end of that concurrency are commonly known as the “North Split” and “South Split”, which form the Eastern portion of a section of freeways and surface streets that are referred to as the “Inner Loop” around the city’s central business district. Alternatively, I-465 is called the “Outer Loop”.
The “North Split” concurrency is also sometimes known as the “Spaghetti Bowl” because of its visual complexity, which consists of overlapping freeways, ghost ramps and overpasses that were meant to connect I-70 to a never built section of I-69. Instead, drivers can access I-69 by continuing along I-70 East before departing via Exit 89.
After diverging from I-69 at the “North Split”, I-70 reaches its maximum width of 10 lanes across (five lanes going east and five lanes going west) as it flows away from Downtown Indianapolis and toward the east/northeast. On the eastern side of Indianapolis, I-70 intersects with the I-465 beltway through another complex interchange before completely leaving the city, county and metropolitan area toward Ohio in a nearly due-east direction.
The section of I-70 that is east of Indianapolis is officially known as the “Anton Tony Hulman Jr. Memorial Way” to honor the man who rescued the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1945 and popularized the Indianapolis 500. This portion contains no interchanges with any major cities until it comes to Richmond, but it does move within range of Greenfield and New Castle.
US 35 joins with I-70 on the northwest side of Richmond, where it then remains on the freeway as both routes cross into Ohio together. There is also one single-point urban interchange with US 27 that creates access to Richmond from south of the interstate. As I-70 crosses into Ohio on the east side of Richmond, US 40 intersects with the freeway immediately to the west of the state line.
Accident Trends on I-70 from Indianapolis to Richmond
According to the initial data from Semicrashmap.com, there were 90 accidents in 2025 on I-70 from Indianapolis to Richmond that involved semi-trucks. The semi was preliminary determined to be at fault by the investigating officer for 48 of those accidents. Of the 90 total wrecks, there were two fatalities and 115 injuries.
When examining accident trends on this portion of the interstate, it is important to also look at how those trends change depending on the counties that are part of I-70 between Indianapolis and Richmond. Each county has different types of roads and settlement patterns that affect the volume of accidents.
Marion County had a recorded 54 accidents with 64 injuries and two fatalities; police reports for those wrecks reported that 27 were believed to be the fault of the semi driver. For Hancock County, there were 11 accidents with 17 injuries and zero fatalities. The investigating officers for seven of those wrecks determined that the semi was at fault. Henry County saw a total of 9 accidents with 10 injuries and zero fatalities as well, but five of the wrecks reported that the semi driver may have been at fault. Lastly, Wayne County had 16 accidents that resulted in 24 injuries and zero fatalities, with nine of the wrecks attributed to the fault of the semi driver.
Henry and Hancock counties saw fewer wrecks on I-70, most likely due to them consisting of majority rural and suburban areas. These settlement patterns mean most semi-trucks drive through these counties or use an interchange to change direction, as opposed to exiting the interstate to reach their destinations. Both Marion and Wayne counties have more urban/suburban areas, which is a contributing factor to their higher accident numbers. Urbanization leads to more connections and interchanges to other major roadways, in addition to the presence of big industries that send and receive freight shipments.
Semi accidents can happen for many reasons, and there can be several factors that contributed to causing the wreck. However, police reports typically cite a primary factor. Due to the high number of accidents on this stretch of I-70, there are numerous different primary factors listed. The most common of those was “unsafe lane movement”, which accounted for 35 of the 90 wrecks. The second most common was “following too closely”, which was cited for 17 accidents. Both of these factors are often listed in police reports as the primary cause of an accident, but further investigation typically reveals that following too closely and unsafe lane movement are a result of distracted or fatigued driving.
Aside from the two most common, other primary factors repeatedly reported for these accidents include failure to maintain lane for seven wrecks, speed too fast for weather conditions for five wrecks, driver asleep/fatigued at time of crash for four wrecks, other reason related to the driver for four wrecks, unsafe speed for three wrecks, other reason related to the vehicle for three wrecks, failure to yield right-of-way for two wrecks, overcorrecting/oversteering for two wrecks and steering failure for two wrecks. The following factors were cited for one wreck each:
- Driver distracted; explained in report
- Improper lane usage
- Improper turning
- Insecure/leaky load
- Road under construction
- View obstructed.
Most of the semi wrecks on this portion of I-70 occurred during October, with 10 accidents reported during that month. March had the least with only two. For all the other months, the number of wrecks was fairly consistent, with a total of six to nine accidents per month. Furthermore, 18 of the 90 reported accidents on I-70 in 2025 happened in construction zones, and the peak months for construction-related wrecks were August, October and December with three crashes in each month.
For days of the week, Friday was the most dangerous, totaling 16 accidents, and Wednesday was a close second with a final count of 15. This actually deviates from recent national data, which states that Tuesdays and Thursdays see the most truck accidents. The time of day that was most dangerous was 2 p.m. EST/EDT; there were 14 wrecks during that hour. This data is consistent with national data that found noon to 3 p.m. to be the time of day when the deadliest truck accidents occurred.
Conclusion
Overall, the data from Semicrashmap.com reveals that I-70 from Indianapolis to Richmond has high potential for dangerous truck accidents. Drivers should be especially careful when driving in Marion and Wayne counties, where accidents are more likely to happen as a result of complex interchanges and more freight traffic entering and exiting the interstate. Watch your speed and maneuver carefully through complicated junctions. Due to the many different primary factors that contribute to accidents on I-70, drivers of semi-trucks and passenger vehicles alike should watch for any abnormal behavior from nearby trucks that may indicate unsafe driving.
The 2025 semi crash data is consistent with what board-certified truck accident attorney David W. Craig has personally witnessed. He indicated that Craig, Kelley & Faultless is currently representing and has represented many victims of semi wrecks on I-70 between Richmond and Indianapolis. Unfortunately, some of these accidents involve either a fatality or serious life-threatening injuries.
Craig, Kelley & Faultless has an office in Richmond, Indiana and is headquartered in Lawrence, Indiana, which is located on the east side of Indianapolis off of Post Road. David said, “It is common for our law firm to be hired to represent victims of commercial motor vehicle accidents on this stretch of Interstate 70. Many of our current cases involve construction zones or occurred in adverse weather conditions.”
Semi Crash Map: A Tool for Identifying Dangerous Trucking Trends
The Semi Crash Map was developed in 2025 by Nationally Recognized Truck Accident Attorney David W. Craig with the help of employees at Craig, Kelley & Faultless. This educational and informative tool provides the public with information about dangerous trucking trends as they happen. It is aimed at those who wish to use the map’s data to educate themselves about local semi-truck wrecks.
David’s goal is to create public access to truck accident data and trends, which equips users with knowledge and information that can make everyone more aware of the potential dangers that come with sharing the road with semi-trucks. Anyone can access and navigate the map for free.
Map markers are updated daily, utilizing a patent pending process that pulls from news sources, police reports and other available data to track truck wrecks when they occur. Users can click on any map marker to read more about a specific wreck or use the entire map to look at broader trends.
Injured After a Truck Wreck? Craig, Kelley & Faultless Can Help
Attorneys at Craig, Kelley & Faultless are prepared and have the experience to help victims and their loved ones involved in commercial vehicle wrecks through every aspect of their case. Both attorneys David W. Craig and Scott A. Faultless are board-certified in truck accident law by the NBTA, accredited by the American Bar Association. The firm also has a rapid response team that works with investigators, reconstructionists and mechanics who immediately collect evidence as soon as the firm is hired. Additionally, two of the firm’s litigation paralegals are board-certified in truck accident law by the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys. As David has said, “We don’t just handle truck accident cases. We specialize in these cases.”
Their team-centered approach puts client needs at the forefront, and several attorneys will work on your case to achieve the best possible outcome.
Reach out for a free case consultation today at (888) 253-5198 or online.
David W. Craig is board-certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy, accredited by the American Bar Association in Truck Accident Law. He sits on the Board of Regents of the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys (which requires the board certification in truck accident law). He is the managing partner and one of the founding partners of Craig, Kelley & Faultless LLC. He is recognized as a Top 10 Trucking Trial Lawyer and Top 100 Trial Lawyer in Indiana by the National Trial Lawyers, as well as a Top 50 Indiana lawyer by Super Lawyers. David is the author of Semitruck Wreck, A Guide for Victims and Their Families and It’s Never Been Easier to Hire the Wrong Attorney, both written to help people navigate what comes next after a tragic wreck. He also hosts the podcast After the Crash, where you can gain valuable information about the dangers involving semis and large trucks that do not follow safety protocol regarding speed, weather conditions, maintenance upkeep, etc.
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