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.
Before you rely on these numbers
The statutory figures on this page have not yet been verified against current statute text by a licensed attorney. They are published with their citations so they can be checked, and they should be treated as a starting point for a conversation with a Idaho lawyer — not as a legal conclusion. Statutes change: Florida cut its personal injury period in half in 2023 and Louisiana doubled its own in 2024.
Your deadlines in Idaho, calculated
Enter the date of your crash and the tool below will work out both clocks — the legal filing deadline and the much shorter window before the proof can be destroyed. Idaho is already selected. Nothing you type is sent anywhere.
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.
The four Idaho deadlines that matter
| 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 |
Claims against a government entity in Idaho
The shortest government notice window found for Idaho — 180 days (Idaho Code § 6-905). This is the deadline that quietly ends claims: it comes due long before the ordinary filing deadline, it is a precondition to suing rather than a suggestion, and missing it usually bars the claim entirely no matter how strong the case is.
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 in Idaho: Idaho Transportation Department plow and maintenance trucks, county highway district equipment, city public works fleets, and school district buses. If you are not certain whether the vehicle that hit you was one of these, work to the shorter deadline until somebody confirms otherwise. The downside is not symmetrical.
If the injured person was a minor
Tolled to age 18 in Idaho under Idaho Code § 5-230 — the clock generally does not start until the injured person turns 18.
That pause applies to the court deadline. It does not apply to the evidence. A carrier is entitled to destroy a driver's logs six months after the crash whether the injured person is 8 or 38, and in many states a government notice deadline is not tolled for a child either. A tolled filing deadline and an untouched evidence deadline is the most dangerous combination on this page.
When the Idaho clock starts
Limited. Idaho's § 5-219 generally starts the clock at the wrongful act, with narrow exceptions.
Why the evidence clock in Idaho is much shorter
Idaho's filing deadline is 2 years. The federal retention rules that govern the trucking company are measured in weeks and months:
- 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 keeps running, and routinely lost when it is repaired or resold.
- Driver logs and records of duty status — six months (49 CFR § 395.8(k)(1)).
- Maintenance and repair 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)).
The way to stop those clocks is a preservation letter to the carrier — a written demand that specific evidence be kept. Until it arrives, destroying records at the end of a retention period is routine and lawful. Our FMCSA regulations and evidence guide explains what each of these records contains.
Truck traffic in Idaho
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.
The corridors where these crashes concentrate: 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.
Neighbouring states have different clocks
A crash a few miles across a state line can be governed by a completely different deadline. If you are not certain which state your crash happened in — near a border, on a bridge, or on an interstate you were travelling at speed — 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 |
Or use the filing deadline calculator to compare any state, and the full state index for all 50 states and D.C.
What to do next in Idaho
- Get a preservation letter to the carrier. This is the most time-critical step and the one almost nobody hears about.
- Confirm whether a government entity was involved. That answer can replace your 2 years deadline with a far shorter notice window — 180 days.
- Do not give a recorded statement to the trucking company's insurer.
- Request the Idaho crash report, which identifies the carrier, the DOT number and the insurer.
- Have a lawyer licensed in Idaho confirm the dates above 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.