The multiplier method with Iowa's actual rules applied — modified comparative — 51% bar, a 2-year filing window — every statute cited and linked, every line of arithmetic shown.
Based on the multiplier method used by insurers and attorneys. This is an educational estimate, not legal advice — every claim is different.
You recover if your fault is not greater than the combined fault of the others (≤50%), reduced by your share. — Iowa Code §668.3(1)
2 years — Iowa Code §614.1(2). The clock is jurisdictional — one day late and no court will hear the case.
At-fault state — no PIP.
Minimum liability coverage: 20/40/15 — $20,000 per person, $40,000 per accident, $15,000 property damage. — Iowa Code §321A.1(11) — policy limits are the practical ceiling on most settlements, which is why identifying every available policy (including your own underinsured-motorist coverage) matters.
Since 2017, if you return to (or are offered) work at equal or better pay, unscheduled injuries are paid on the functional impairment rating alone instead of industrial disability — routinely cutting body-as-whole value by a large multiple. Shoulders are now a 400-week scheduled member. What happens with your job offer changes your case value more than the rating does.
The same multiplier method used everywhere — (medical bills + lost wages) × a 1.5–5× severity multiplier + property damage — then Iowa's fault rule is applied: You recover if your fault is not greater than the combined fault of the others (≤50%), reduced by your share. The calculator on this page runs exactly that math and prints every line.
2 years (Iowa Code §614.1(2)). Miss the deadline and the claim is barred permanently, no matter how strong it is — and claims against government entities often have much shorter notice requirements.
At-fault state — no PIP.
Compensatory damages: No cap in ordinary injury cases. Medical malpractice: Non-economic caps: $250k generally; $1M (clinics/doctors) or $2M (hospitals) for permanent/serious cases; rising 2.1%/yr from 2028. Punitive damages: No dollar cap, but if conduct wasn't directed at you specifically, you keep at most 25%.