Iowa Code » Chapter 702 — DEFINITIONS
Iowa Code

Iowa Code § 702.18 (2026)

Serious injury

✓ current as of July 2026
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1. “Serious injury” means any of the following:

a. Disabling mental illness.

b. Bodily injury which does any of the following:

(1) Creates a substantial risk of death.

(2) Causes serious permanent disfigurement.

(3) Causes protracted loss or impairment of the function of any bodily member or organ.

c. Any injury to a child that requires surgical repair and necessitates the administration of general anesthesia.

2. “Serious injury” includes but is not limited to skull fractures, rib fractures, and metaphyseal fractures of the long bones of children under the age of four years. [C51, §2577; R60, §4200; C73, §3857; C97, §4752; C24, 27, 31, 35, 39, §12928; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 71, 73, 75, 77, §693.1; C79, 81, §702.18] 94 Acts, ch 1172, §41; 99 Acts, ch 11, §1 Referred to in §147.111, 235B.2, 321.261, 321.482A, 321J.1, 462A.2, 707.6A, 726.24, 805.10 \n

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 82 cases (12 in the last 5 years), 1979–2026 · leading case: State Of Iowa Vs. Robert L. Hanes, 790 N.W.2d 545 (Iowa 2010).
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State Of Iowa Vs. Robert L. Hanes, 790 N.W.2d 545 (Iowa 2010). · cites it 24× “According to Iowa Code section 702.18: 1. “Serious injury” means any of the following: .”
State of Iowa v. Valentin Velez, 829 N.W.2d 572 (Iowa 2013). · cites it 8× “§ 702.18. Velez concedes that Kennedy suffered multiple injuries that, separately, would constitute “serious injury” as prohibited by the willful injury statute and defined by Iowa Code section 702.”
State v. Holmes, 276 N.W.2d 823 (Iowa 1979). · cites it 12× “(5) Whether the instruction defining "serious bodily injury" drawn from § 702.18, and expanded by the court, was unconstitutionally vague and confused and mislead the jury.”
State v. Heemstra, 721 N.W.2d 549 (Iowa 2006). · cites it 4× “See Iowa Code § 702.18 (1)( b )(1). In rejecting the equal-protection challenge lodged in Ragland , we found that there was a rational basis for concluding that the crime of willful injury posed a greater risk to the victim than other crimes for which felony murder may not be…”
State v. McKee, 312 N.W.2d 907 (Iowa 1981). · cites it 8× “It is defined in section 702.18 as “disabling mental illness, or bodily injury which creates a substantial risk of death or which causes serious permanent disfigurement, or protracted loss or impairment of the function of any bodily member or organ.”
State of Iowa v. Christopher Craig Thompson, 837 N.W.2d 180 (Iowa 2013). · cites it 3× “Iowa Code section 702.18 defines a “serious injury,” in part, as a “[b]odily injury which .”
State v. White, 668 N.W.2d 850 (Iowa 2003). · cites it 5× “Iowa Code § 702.18 (l)( z), (6). We conclude “torture” as it is used in Iowa Code section 710.”
State of Iowa v. Jonas Dorian Neiderbach, 836 N.W.2d 470 (Iowa 2013). · cites it 3× “Iowa Code section 702.18 defines a “serious injury,” in part, as a “[b]odily injury which .”
State of Iowa v. Christopher Clay McNeal, 897 N.W.2d 697 (Iowa 2017). · cites it 2× “§ 702.18(1)–(2) (defining “serious injury”); State v.”
State v. Gordon, 560 N.W.2d 4 (Iowa 1997). · cites it 10× “See Iowa Code § 702.18 (serious injury means, among other things, “bodily injury which creates a substantial risk of death or which causes serious permanent disfigurement, or protracted loss or impairment of the function of any bodily member or organ”).”
State v. Anderson, 308 N.W.2d 42 (Iowa 1981). · cites it 6× “Constitutionality of section 702.18. Anderson contends that the definition of serious injury in section 702.”
Barnhill v. Davis, 300 N.W.2d 104 (Iowa 1981). · cites it 4× “Section 702.18, The Code 1979, in the context of criminal law, states in part: "Serious injury" means .”
Show all 82 citing cases →
— Iowa Code § 702.18(1) — 6 cases
State Of Iowa Vs. Robert L. Hanes, 790 N.W.2d 545 (Iowa 2010). “According to Iowa Code section 702.18: 1. “Serious injury” means any of the following: .”
State of Iowa v. Christopher Clay McNeal, 897 N.W.2d 697 (Iowa 2017). “§ 702.18(1)–(2) (defining “serious injury”); State v.”
State of Iowa v. Christopher Craig Thompson, 837 N.W.2d 180 (Iowa 2013). “Iowa Code section 702.18 defines a “serious injury,” in part, as a “[b]odily injury which .”
State Of Iowa Vs. Stanley Alan Tribble, 790 N.W.2d 121 (Iowa 2010).
Amended September 1, 2017 State of Iowa v. Christopher Clay McNeal (Iowa 2017).
— Iowa Code § 702.18(1)(a) — 1 case
State of Iowa v. Gerald W. Miller (Iowa Ct. App. 2020).
— Iowa Code § 702.18(1)(b) — 3 cases
State of Iowa v. Brandon L. Tyler (Iowa Ct. App. 2014).
State v. Lenz (Iowa Ct. App. 2017).
State of Iowa v. Jehu Purnell (Iowa Ct. App. 2019).
— Iowa Code § 702.18(1)(b)(1) — 1 case
State Of Iowa Vs. Robert L. Hanes, 790 N.W.2d 545 (Iowa 2010). “According to Iowa Code section 702.18: 1. “Serious injury” means any of the following: .”
— Iowa Code § 702.18(1)(b)(2) — 2 cases
State Of Iowa Vs. Robert L. Hanes, 790 N.W.2d 545 (Iowa 2010). “According to Iowa Code section 702.18: 1. “Serious injury” means any of the following: .”
State of Iowa v. David E. Williams (Iowa Ct. App. 2020).
— Iowa Code § 702.18(1)(b)(3) — 4 cases
State Of Iowa Vs. Robert L. Hanes, 790 N.W.2d 545 (Iowa 2010). “According to Iowa Code section 702.18: 1. “Serious injury” means any of the following: .”
State of Iowa v. Jonas Dorian Neiderbach, 836 N.W.2d 470 (Iowa 2013). “Iowa Code section 702.18 defines a “serious injury,” in part, as a “[b]odily injury which .”
State v. Lenz (Iowa Ct. App. 2017).
State of Iowa v. William Earl Roby (Iowa Ct. App. 2014).
— Iowa Code § 702.18(2) — 1 case
Eric Earl Houk, Applicant-Appellant v. State of Iowa (Iowa Ct. App. 2017).
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