Iowa gives you 2 years to file most truck accident claims, and it follows modified comparative negligence (51% bar). Federal FMCSA rules govern the trucking company; Iowa law governs your injury claim.
Most people picture Iowa truck crashes on I-80, and plenty happen there. But an Iowa truck accident lawyer also sees a lot of wrecks on two-lane highways at harvest time, where a loaded grain truck and a family car meet at 60 miles an hour.
How Iowa splits fault
Iowa bars recovery when the claimant's fault exceeds 50%, and reduces the award proportionally below that.
Also see who can be held liable.
I-80 across the prairie and two-lane roads at harvest
I-80 carries coast-to-coast freight through Davenport, Des Moines and Council Bluffs. In winter, open ground on both sides means blowing snow and ground blizzards that come out of nowhere. A whiteout can pile up a dozen vehicles in minutes.
Off the interstate, US-20 and the state highways carry grain, livestock and farm equipment on roads with no median. Near Dubuque, where US-20, US-61 and US-151 meet at the river, the hills and curves make it tough for a heavy truck to stop in time.
I-80 carries transcontinental freight straight across Iowa, and the state's agricultural and manufacturing economy adds heavy seasonal grain and equipment hauling on two-lane US routes. The Dubuque area, where US-20, US-61, and US-151 converge at a Mississippi River crossing, mixes regional truck traffic with river-valley terrain and steep grades.
- I-80 (transcontinental, Davenport–Des Moines–Omaha)
- I-35 (Des Moines north–south)
- I-380 (Cedar Rapids–Iowa City)
- US-20 across northern Iowa
- US-61 along the Mississippi through Dubuque
If you haul grain or long-haul freight in Iowa
Seasonal drivers and farm haulers sometimes run under different paperwork than long-haul carriers. If you were hurt, figure out exactly who you were driving for that day and hang on to any load tickets. Those details can change who's responsible.
When a semi or grain truck hits your car on a rural highway
Rural crashes often happen far from the nearest hospital, and the details get lost while everyone focuses on getting help. As soon as you can, write down the road, the nearest crossroad and what you remember about the truck. Ask the sheriff's office or state patrol for the report number.
What's different about Iowa claims
Before you talk to an adjuster
- Iowa does not cap compensatory damages in ordinary personal injury actions.
- Iowa's Municipal Tort Claims Act and State Tort Claims Act govern claims against public entities and carry their own procedures.
- Rural two-lane highways account for a meaningful share of Iowa's serious truck crashes, where head-on and crossing collisions at highway speed produce catastrophic outcomes.
The federal layer
An interstate carrier in Iowa answers to the same federal floor as everywhere else: at least $750,000 in liability coverage, hours-of-service limits under 49 CFR Part 395, and a six-month retention floor on driver duty records. Read about preserving the truck's data and the federal safety regulations.
Finding a lawyer in Iowa
Ask the attorney whether they're comfortable with rural cases where the scene is miles from any camera and the evidence has to be rebuilt from the vehicles and the road.
Network attorneys cover Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Dubuque, Sioux City, and Iowa City. Start a free case review.
Other states
See all states → or check filing deadlines for all 50 states.
Sources
- Large Truck and Bus Crash Facts — Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
- SAFER Company Snapshot — carrier safety records — Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
- Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) — National Highway Traffic 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.