US-95 is the only road that runs the length of Idaho, and on a lot of it you're on two lanes behind a log truck or a grain hauler with nowhere to pass. If one of those trucks put you in the hospital in Coeur d'Alene or Lewiston, or you went down on I-84 near Boise, here's what you need to know.
The truck accident statute of limitations in Idaho appears to be 2 years from the date of the crash (Idaho Code § 5-219(4)). Wrongful death generally runs 2 years from the date of death. If a government vehicle or entity was involved, formal written notice is generally required first, on its own clock: 180 days. The evidence clock is shorter than all of them.
How current these numbers are
A licensed attorney checked these Idaho figures against the cited statutes on 2026-09-20. Statutes still change (Florida cut its injury period in half in 2023; Louisiana doubled its own in 2024), so confirm with an Idaho lawyer before you rely on them.
What makes Idaho different
Idaho's 180-day Tort Claims Act notice is short relative to its two-year limitations period, and the state's road network means a highway-design or maintenance claim against ITD or a county highway district is a realistic theory in a rural crash. Idaho also starts its clock at the wrongful act rather than at discovery in most cases.
Idaho truck traffic, from I-84 on down
Idaho truckers deal with mountains, wind and wildlife. The Lookout Pass stretch of I-90 near Montana has steep grades, chain requirements in winter and heavy fog. US-95 over White Bird Hill drops thousands of feet in a few miles, with sharp curves that give fully loaded trucks trouble. I-84 across the Snake River Plain is long, flat and windy, with dust storms near Hammett and Mountain Home that cause pileups every few years. Deer and elk on the road at night are a constant hazard. Potato trucks, sugar beet haulers and dairy tankers fill two-lane roads in the Magic Valley, especially at harvest in the fall.
Idaho freight is agricultural and mineral — potatoes, sugar beets, timber and phosphate — moving on a thin road network where US-95 is the only continuous north-south route. Long rural stretches mean long response times and long distances between the crash scene and the carrier's terminal. Crashes pile up on I-84 (Boise–Twin Falls–Utah), I-90 through the Panhandle, I-15 toward Montana, US-95 the length of the state and US-20 and US-30.
Picture this on US-93
Say you're driving home from Twin Falls on US-93 in October, right in the middle of sugar beet harvest. A beet truck pulls out of a field road without looking and you hit its side. It's a small farm operation, the truck is older, and the driver doesn't have a commercial logbook in the way a big fleet would. The evidence here is a lot more fragile: a farm truck's maintenance records might be a notebook in a shop. Photos, witness names and the truck itself need to be documented right away.
Idaho filing deadlines at a glance
| Deadline | Period | Runs from | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal injury lawsuit | 2 years | the date of the crash | Idaho Code § 5-219(4) |
| Wrongful death claim | 2 years | the date of death | Idaho Code § 5-311 |
| Notice — state entity | 180 days | the date of the crash | Idaho Code § 6-905 |
| Notice — city, county or district | 180 days | the date of the crash | Idaho Code § 6-906 |
If a government vehicle was involved in Idaho
Shortest government notice window found for Idaho: 180 days (Idaho Code § 6-905). It comes due long before the ordinary deadline, it's a precondition to suing, and missing it usually bars the claim entirely. Idaho Tort Claims Act notice to the Secretary of State within 180 days. Notice to the political subdivision's clerk within 180 days.
Public fleets you could realistically be hit by here: Idaho Transportation Department plow and maintenance trucks, county highway district equipment, city public works fleets, and school district buses. Not sure the vehicle was one of these? Work to the shorter deadline until someone confirms otherwise.
If the injured person was a minor
Tolled to age 18 in Idaho under Idaho Code § 5-230. The clock generally doesn't start until the injured person turns 18. That pause covers the court deadline, not the evidence: a carrier may destroy a driver's logs six months after the crash no matter the injured person's age, and in many states a government notice deadline isn't tolled for a child either.
When the Idaho clock starts
Limited. Idaho's § 5-219 generally starts the clock at the wrongful act, with narrow exceptions.
Your Idaho dates, calculated
Enter your crash date. Idaho is preselected, and nothing you type is sent anywhere.
The evidence clock runs faster than 2 years
- Dashcam and telematics video: often 30 days or less (No federal retention requirement — vendor and carrier policy only).
- ECM / black box data: overwritten as the tractor runs; often lost on repair or resale.
- Driver logs: six months (49 CFR § 395.8(k)(1)).
- Maintenance records: one year while the vehicle is in the carrier's control (49 CFR § 396.3(c)).
- Annual inspection report: 14 months (49 CFR § 396.21(b)(1)).
Until a written preservation letter reaches the carrier, destroying records at the end of a retention period is routine and lawful. The FMCSA regulations and evidence guide explains each record.
Three things to do now in Idaho
- Idaho State Police cover the interstates and many highways. Request the crash report and ask whether a commercial vehicle inspection was done at the scene.
- For crashes involving farm trucks, note whether the truck had a USDOT number on the door. Some agricultural haulers run under exemptions that change what records exist.
- If weather or wildlife was a factor, note the milepost. Idaho 511 keeps road-condition reports that can back up what you saw.
Crashed near the Idaho line?
A crash a few miles over a border can fall under a different deadline. If you're not sure which state you were in, check both.
| State | Injury deadline | Wrongful death |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | 3 years | 3 years |
| Oregon | 2 years | 3 years |
| Nevada | 2 years | 2 years |
| Utah | 4 years | 2 years |
| Wyoming | 4 years | 2 years |
| Montana | 3 years | 3 years |
Compare any state with the filing deadline calculator, or see the full state index.
Next steps
- Get a preservation letter to the carrier. It's the most time-critical step.
- Confirm whether a government entity was involved. If so, your 2 years deadline may give way to 180 days.
- Don't give a recorded statement to the trucking company's insurer.
- Get the Idaho crash report; it names the carrier, DOT number and insurer.
- Have a lawyer licensed in Idaho confirm these dates against the current statute.
Sources
- Hours of Service — records of duty status retention — 49 CFR § 395.8 (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration)
- Inspection, Repair, and Maintenance — record retention — 49 CFR Part 396 (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration)
- Accident register requirements — 49 CFR § 390.15 (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration)
- Large Truck and Bus Crash Facts — Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Federal regulations and crash statistics are updated periodically. Figures cited on this page reflect the referenced publications at the time of writing; check the source for the current edition.