No - an Iowa employer cannot legally fire you for pursuing a workers' compensation claim after a work crash, including a Dubuque service-van wreck on U.S. 20 near the Julien Dubuque Bridge.

But there are exceptions and traps that make this more complicated:

• They may claim it was for another reason. Iowa employers often say it was attendance, policy violations, no available work, or performance. The timing matters. If you report a crash, miss shifts for treatment, then get cut loose right after, that is a red flag.
• You still must report the injury fast. In Iowa, you generally must notify your employer within 90 days of the injury. Waiting gives them an excuse to dispute the whole claim.
• Light-duty issues can get used against you. If your doctor-approved restrictions say no lifting or limited driving, the employer can offer suitable light duty. If the work truly fits those restrictions and you refuse it, your wage benefits can be affected. If the job exceeds restrictions, document that immediately.
• Your employer usually picks the doctor. Under Iowa workers' comp, the employer or insurer typically controls authorized medical care. If the care is unreasonable, you can ask the Iowa Workers' Compensation Commissioner for alternate care. Do not assume the company clinic gets the final word.
• A workers' comp claim is not your only claim. If a tourist, delivery driver, or another company caused the crash, you may also have a third-party claim against that driver while still receiving workers' comp. That matters a lot in summer traffic around Dubuque and in cross-border wrecks toward the Quad Cities and Illinois.
• There are filing deadlines beyond notice. A formal Iowa workers' comp case is generally due within 2 years of the injury if no weekly benefits were paid, or 3 years from the last weekly benefit payment if they were.

Save every text, schedule change, write-up, and work restriction. Retaliation cases are often proven by paperwork, not by what the boss says out loud.