Soft Tissue Injury Claims Aren’t Trivial: Minor Accidents Can Have Major Impacts

After a minor car accident or what seems like an inconsequential incident, it’s easy to underestimate the seriousness of the situation and fail to advocate for yourself. Torn ligaments, nerve damage, strained joints, and other injuries often don’t show their full effects right away, but they can have long-term physical and financial impacts. When a negligent driver, property owner, or other entity is responsible for your injury, they may also be responsible for your damages.

A soft tissue injury claim can help you recover compensation for financial losses and emotional distress due to chronic or serious symptoms caused by a crash. Taking seemingly minor accidents seriously is the first step in advocating for yourself. Read on to better understand how these personal injury claims could help your recovery.

Your body’s soft tissues include muscles, tendons, ligaments, and nerves. These are responsible for essential functions, such as transporting fluids and blood and enabling walking, sitting, standing, and other movements.

The impact of soft tissue injuries is often misunderstood and minimized by insurance providers, at-fault drivers, and employers. These damages don’t always show up on X-rays, but sprains, strains, and ligament damage can persist, causing long-term debilitation and instability. Serious injuries can require surgery and rehabilitation, and some people may never recover full mobility.

Nearly all vehicle collisions are abrupt and jarring, with enough force to cause a variety of injuries. Motorists struck by a negligent driver may suffer multiple tissue injuries, requiring multiple diagnoses, therapy appointments, and ongoing care. These examples demonstrate how a car wreck can cause serious bodily harm:

• A crash can result in broken glass or crushed metal that cuts a driver’s or passenger’s tendons and ligaments.
• Rear-end collisions frequently cause debilitating whiplash or brain trauma.
• Vehicle occupants who are propelled may experience contusions or other injuries from striking the dashboard or being ejected.
• Fast deceleration can cause seatbelts and restraints to place excessive strain on the soft tissues in the neck and chest.
• Blunt trauma to the knee or forced overextension can stretch or tear ligaments, leading to lasting damage to the MCL or ACL and the need for surgery or rehabilitation.

This isn’t an inclusive list. Other accidents, such as falling down steps at a business or suffering a laceration at an event venue, can also cause soft tissue injuries that are worth speaking to a lawyer about.

A liability insurer isn’t likely to recognize bumps and bruises as more than temporary discomfort. But not all minor injuries are trivial. A car accident lawsuit may be necessary when injuries require surgery, rehabilitation, or ongoing care, or when they result in lasting effects or a disability.

Securing a soft tissue injury car accident settlement requires proving negligence and damages. Incident reports, surveillance footage, and witness testimony can help demonstrate the other party’s failure to act reasonably (negligence), but you’ll need additional proof that those actions caused substantial harm.

Proving soft tissue injuries requires clear evidence, which may include:

• Medical records with an injury-grade classification
• A care plan outlining ongoing assistance, rehabilitation, or therapy
• Documentation of current and future medical expenses for physical therapy, surgeries, chiropractic care, and specialist care
• Confirmed limitations after reaching maximum medical improvement
• Impact statements on the effects the injury has had on you or your family
• Pay stubs demonstrating lost work or diminished earning capacity

Having soft tissue injuries diagnosed after a car wreck, slip-and-fall, or work injury is essential for treatment and insurance claims. Symptoms may not manifest until hours or even days after an accident, but that delay doesn’t mean you should wait to seek medical care. Putting off treatment can weaken your claim.

It’s best to seek prompt medical attention, even if your injury seems minor. If symptoms worsen or if adrenaline was masking the severity, you’ll already have established medical records. That documentation can put you in a stronger position should you need to file a soft tissue injury lawsuit later.

Accident-related expenses from a crash involving soft tissue injuries can include medical care, surgery, follow-up appointments, rehabilitation, and vehicle repairs or replacement when your car is a total loss. These expenses may be compensable through a car accident injury claim.

A soft tissue injury claim can be worth a few thousand dollars or up to six figures, depending on the medical costs, injury severity, and impacts on the victim’s daily life. Courts generally consider damages in two categories:

• Economic: These financial losses could include medical bills, missed work or reduced wages, out-of-pocket expenses for care or co-pays, and other tangible costs.
• Non-Economic: These intangible impacts include pain and suffering, mental anguish, trauma, and loss of enjoyment.

If you’ve gotten medical care and reported the incident to your insurance provider or the responsible party, but your injuries have not been properly acknowledged or addressed, it may be time to contact a lawyer. Even if a settlement has been offered, having an attorney review it can help ensure it fully accounts for your damages.

Pursuing a car accident injury claim can be challenging, especially if you’re experiencing soft tissue damage that’s difficult to quantify. If you’re unfamiliar with the legal landscape or the insurance provider is attempting to minimize your claim, let an attorney help. Contact Miller Law Group to discuss your next steps.