There is no reliable statewide average settlement figure in Iowa for pre-existing-injury crash claims, because the value depends on what changed after the crash. An old MRI does not automatically kill the claim.

If your prior condition was stable before the wreck, Iowa law is favorable to you. Iowa follows the eggshell plaintiff rule: the at-fault driver takes you as they find you. If a crash on I-35 between Des Moines and Ames or a spring-thaw pothole impact made a dormant back or neck problem worse, the defendant can be liable for the aggravation, not just for a brand-new injury. The insurer will compare records from before and after the crash looking for a clear change in pain, treatment, work limits, or imaging.

If you were already treating the same body part, the case gets narrower, not dead. Iowa law does not let you recover for symptoms you already had, but it does allow recovery for the additional harm caused by the crash. That usually means your records need to show increased symptoms, new restrictions, injections, surgery recommendations, lost wages, or a different diagnosis after the collision. Insurers weaponize old MRIs by calling everything "degenerative." That argument works better when your records show the same complaints with no meaningful change.

If the insurer is leaning hard on low vehicle damage, that is also not decisive. Iowa is an at-fault state, and the minimum liability limits are 20/40/15. A low-speed impact, including a suspension-jarring pothole-season event on deteriorated Des Moines roads, can still aggravate a prior condition. But you need medical proof tying the worsening to the crash, not just your own report.

If your current lawyer is handling the prior-record issue badly, you can switch lawyers mid-case in Iowa. Usually the fee is divided between firms; you do not typically pay two full contingency fees. For injury claims, the Iowa filing deadline is generally 2 years from the crash under Iowa Code § 614.1(2)(a).