Truck Accident Claims in Ohio

The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio adopts the federal motor carrier safety regulations (49 CFR parts 40, 367, 380, 382, 383, 385, 386, 387 and 390 to 397, including hours of service and inspection, repair and maintenance) as of August 1, 2025, unless modified by its rules, and applies them to motor carriers operating in intrastate commerce as well as interstate carriers. Intrastate carriers of construction materials and equipment follow modified driving-time limits instead of 49 CFR 395.3. Federal minimum insurance for interstate carriers is in 49 CFR 387.9.

Modified comparative fault (51% bar). An injured person can recover as long as their own fault was not greater than the combined fault of all other persons; damages are reduced by the injured person's percentage of fault. A person found more than 50% at fault recovers nothing.

Economic damages are not capped. Noneconomic damages (such as pain and suffering) in a general injury case are limited to the greater of $250,000 or three times the economic loss, up to a maximum of $350,000 per plaintiff or $500,000 per occurrence. There is no cap on noneconomic damages for permanent and substantial physical deformity, loss of use of a limb or loss of a bodily organ system, or a permanent injury that prevents the person from independently caring for themselves. The cap does not apply to wrongful death actions or to suits against the state or local governments (which have their own rules). The jury is not told about the cap.

An action for bodily injury must be filed within two years after the cause of action accrues, which is generally when the injury occurs. For injuries from exposure to certain substances (such as hazardous chemicals, prescription drugs or medical devices, or asbestos), the clock starts when the person learns, or reasonably should have learned, that the injury is related to the exposure.