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43% of car accidents result in injuries. Injuries don’t always mean broken bones. A person can be seriously hurt by soft tissue injury. The harm is often serious – significant medical bills, lost income, and suffering.
Schiller & Hamilton explains soft tissue injuries after a car accident and how a lawyer can help.
Can you get compensation for soft tissue injuries after a car accident?
Yes. A soft tissue injury is a type of bodily injury worthy of compensation following a car accident. A person may claim compensation for the costs associated with treatment plus pain and suffering. The amounts claimed for soft tissue injury are in addition to compensation for other damages.
What You Should Know About Soft Tissue Injuries
- If you have soft tissue injury after a car accident, you may claim compensation.
- Even if you don’t have broken bones, and your only injuries are soft tissue, you may be compensated appropriately.
- Soft tissue injuries vary in severity. Some soft tissue injuries are severe and debilitating, while others may heal with rest and outpatient interventions. Compensation is proportional to the severity of harm.
- It’s especially important to build evidence. You should support a case for soft tissue injury with medical evaluations. You must also have factual testimony of pain levels and the impact of the injury.
- Don’t underestimate what your claim may be worth. Soft tissue injuries can result in long-term pain and complications. Economic and non-economic losses may be significant.
- Insurance companies are often skeptical of soft tissue claims. They may offer you too little for your case. But you can fight for your compensation. You may have a lawyer represent you.
At Schiller & Hamilton, we are lawyers for car accidents in Rock Hill, SC. We know that people with soft tissue injuries must fight for their compensation. That’s why we fight for the interests of our clients. Call or message us for legal help.
Understanding Soft Tissue Injuries
Soft tissue is body tissue that is not biologically hardened, and which is not a bodily organ. Soft tissues have many functions in the body, like protecting bones and vital organs, moving fluid, storing energy, and connecting body parts.
Fat, muscles, nerves, blood vessels, synovial tissue, tendons, and ligaments are some types of soft tissue. Bones, teeth, and organs are not soft tissue.
Types of Soft Tissue Injury
- Whiplash – tearing and straining of the soft tissues in the neck
- Fibrous tissue damage – including torn tendons and ligaments
- Joint dislocation – strained muscles, tendons, and nerves near the joint
- Muscle damage – tearing or bruising of muscle, tissue death, may include the heart
- Nerve damage – impacting feeling and bodily movement, may cause paralysis
- Lymph and blood vessel damage – interfering with bodily function, transportation of fluid, and movement of nutrients
- Brain trauma – including concussion, loss of consciousness, and contusion
How do soft tissue injuries heal?
Mild soft tissue injuries can heal with rest and immobilization. Mild medical interventions like compression and over-the-counter pain killers can help. A period of rest allows the cells to address inflammation, rebuild, and remodel. Then the person can stretch and strengthen the affected area.
Immediately after an accident, life-threatening injuries must be addressed or ruled out. Then, appropriate treatment for soft tissue injuries after a car accident depends on the nature of the injury.
For example, a brain or spinal cord injury would need different treatment than an injury to a calf muscle.
Even when soft tissue injuries don’t seem serious, medical guidance can minimize the chance of long-term effects. Most people use a combination of rest, stabilization, physical therapy, and medicines to promote healing.
What are the long-term effects of soft tissue injury?
As many as 21% of people suffering serious car accident injuries develop chronic pain. Another study found that only 12% of people with soft tissue neck injuries fully recovered 10 years later.
Chronic pain can have significant long-term effects. A person may live with persistent pain. The pain may make daily tasks difficult. It may impair mobility. Limited mobility may lead to other health problems, like favoring one side of the body. A person may get less exercise than before, leading to lower overall health outcomes. Chronic pain may contribute to depression, anxiety, and other mental health concerns.
Car Accident Compensation for Soft Tissue Injuries
Someone who is hurt in a car accident doesn’t immediately know their long-term prognosis. Of course, they hope to make a full recovery. If a person recovers over several weeks, or if their injuries impact them for years to come, they may claim fair compensation.
Proving Your Case
Proving a case for a car accident soft tissue injury has several important steps. A person should pay special attention to:
- Proving that the car accident was of a nature likely to produce the injuries.
- Diagnosis by medical examination, ruling out other possible causes with imaging tests.
- Identification of direct financial losses like the inability to work and medical bills.
- Prognosis, any treatment plan given by healthcare providers, and adherence to the plan.
- Testimony regarding the daily impact of the soft tissue injury. The person may explain their pain levels and limitations. They may keep a journal to record improvements and note the impact on daily living.
- Witnesses who can speak to the impact of injuries.
- Any visible disfigurement from injuries.
- Long-term chronic pain, to the extent that pain is continuing and is likely to continue in the future.
Insurance companies often attempt to minimize soft tissue injury claims. They may see that there is no x-ray showing a broken bone and think that they can undervalue a claim. By addressing these points, a person can build a strong case. They may have representation from an attorney.
Talk to a Lawyer
Don’t settle for less than you deserve. At Schiller & Hamilton, we help injured people. You can have a lawyer represent you to take on the insurance companies. If you have soft tissue injuries after a car accident, we invite you to contact us for your consultation.