Iowa Truck Accident Lawyer

What kinds of trucks cause serious crashes in Iowa?

Iowa's truck traffic is shaped by agriculture as much as by long-haul freight. Grain trucks, livestock haulers, ethanol and fuel tankers, and fertilizer trucks share the road with semis crossing the state on the interstates.

Each type of truck brings different risks:

• Grain trucks are heavy and often driven by seasonal drivers during harvest.
• Livestock trailers carry shifting loads that can make a truck unstable on curves.
• Ethanol, fuel and chemical tankers can cause fires and hazardous spills.
• Wind turbine blades and tower sections travel as oversize loads that need wide turns and escort vehicles.
• Long-haul semis on I-80, I-35 and I-29 bring fatigue and speed risks.

Many of these trucks travel two-lane highways and county roads, not just interstates. Crashes at rural intersections, on narrow bridges and while passing slow trucks are common. Many county bridges are narrow and carry posted weight limits, and a heavy truck meeting oncoming traffic on a narrow span leaves little room for anyone else.

Do federal hours-of-service rules apply to Iowa farm trucks?

It depends on the trip. Interstate carriers must follow federal hours-of-service rules, but those rules include exemptions for certain agricultural trips within a limited distance during planting and harvest seasons.

That exemption does not make a tired farm truck driver safe, and it does not excuse careless driving. It does change what records exist. A long-haul carrier usually has electronic logs. A farm truck may not. Grain elevators and processing plants often record when trucks arrive and leave, which can show how long a driver had been on the road. In those cases, fuel receipts, grain elevator scale tickets, phone records and the driver's own schedule help show how long they had been working.

Who can be held responsible for an Iowa truck crash?

Often more than one party. A single crash can involve the driver, the carrier, a farm operation, a grain elevator or processor, a loader and a maintenance shop.

Because Iowa compares your fault with the combined fault of all defendants, naming every responsible party matters. Potential defendants include:

1. The driver, for speed, fatigue, distraction or impairment.
2. The carrier or farm operation that employed the driver.
3. A shipper or loader, for overweight or poorly secured loads.
4. A maintenance provider, for brake, tire or lighting failures.
5. A company that arranged an oversize load without proper escorts or route planning.

Our general guide to truck accidents explains how carrier liability is proven.

How does Iowa's combined fault comparison play out in a truck case?

You recover as long as your share of fault is 50% or less of the total. Your award is reduced by your share.

Here is an example. A driver on US-30 collides with a grain truck that pulled out from a field entrance. A second vehicle following too closely then hits the driver. The losses total $400,000. The jury finds the injured driver 30% at fault for speeding, the grain truck 50% and the following driver 20%. The injured driver recovers $280,000. If the injured driver had been 51% at fault, the recovery would have been nothing.

Truck data, scale tickets showing the load weight, and photos of the field entrance and sight lines often decide these splits.

What evidence should be preserved after an Iowa truck crash?

As much as possible, and quickly. A written preservation letter should go to the carrier or farm operation within days.

• Engine and event data, GPS and camera footage.
• Driver logs, or other records of hours worked.
• Load documents, scale tickets and bills of lading.
• Maintenance and inspection records.
• Oversize load permits and escort vehicle records.

Photograph the scene, the truck, the load and any markings on the truck doors. Many trucks also carry a DOT number that identifies the carrier.

What damages are available after an Iowa truck crash?

Medical costs, lost income, reduced earning capacity, property damage, and pain and suffering. Iowa's noneconomic damages cap applies to medical malpractice, not to ordinary truck crash cases.

Truck crashes often cause serious, lasting injuries, so future care and lost earnings are central. Our page on catastrophic injuries explains how those losses are proven. If a family member was killed, our Iowa wrongful death page explains the family's options. Most Iowa truck crash lawsuits must be filed within 2 years. For more, see our main Iowa page. Our team offers a free case review, and there is no fee unless we win.