Even a relatively minor car accident can leave people with serious, painful soft tissue injuries that may affect their ability to move, go to work, and perform routine tasks. Soft tissue injuries can be challenging to prove in a personal injury claim because, even if severe, they can cause damage that is not immediately visible. If you sustained soft tissue injuries in a car accident that was caused by someone else, you may be entitled to fair compensation. At Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp, our Virginia Beach car accident attorneys use their decades of experience and knowledge to prove the nature and severity of your soft tissue injuries. From gathering important evidence to skillfully negotiating with the insurance company, we will fight to make sure you are justly compensated for your damages and injuries.
What Are Soft Tissue Injuries?
You have soft tissue throughout your body. It surrounds your internal organs, supports and connects other tissues, including fat, muscles, tendons, nerves, and blood vessels, aids mobility, and protects and stabilizes your joints and bones. The impact of a traffic collision can easily cause soft tissue injuries. Common symptoms of soft tissue injuries include bruising and inflammation of the injured area, pain, weakness, spasms, and limited mobility.
What Types of Soft Tissue Injuries Are Commonly Caused by Car Accidents?
Almost every part of your body is susceptible to soft tissue damage. Some of the most common soft tissue injuries resulting from car accidents include:
- Strains and sprains: Soft tissue strains and sprains occur when the tendons (fibrous tissue that connects bones and muscles) or ligaments (tissues that connect organs, joints, and bones) are torn or stretched during impact.
- Whiplash: One of the leading soft tissue injuries caused by car accidents, whiplash occurs when the neck moves suddenly and violently back and forth.
- Lacerations: Deep wounds and lacerations can be caused by shards of metal, glass, or any other sharp object during a collision.
- Contusions: “Contusion” is the medical terminology for a bruise. Contusions are often suffered by accident victims when they strike or are struck by various objects during a car accident.
- Knee ligament damage: Four main ligaments connect the bones of your knees, any one of which can be injured if it is twisted or jerked during a car accident or struck by an object.
- Tears to the rotator cuff: Damage to the soft tissues of the shoulder can result in intense pain, as well as stiffness, reduced strength, and reduced mobility.
- Hernias: When part of the stomach or intestines are forced through the soft tissue that holds them in place, it can result in a hernia.
- Compressed or pinched nerves: Once injured soft tissues begin to swell, the surrounding nerves can become compressed causing numbness or pain in the affected area.
Can Soft Tissue Injuries Be Included in a Personal Injury Claim?
If you can prove that your soft tissue injuries are the result of someone else’s negligence, then you may be entitled to compensation. One of the benefits of working with an experienced Virginia Beach car accident attorney is having someone on your side who understands what evidence is needed to support your claim and who knows the most effective method of pursuing your case. It is essential to speak to a skilled lawyer as soon as possible after your accident. In addition to seeking legal advice, you may also generally protect your case by:
- Seeking immediate medical attention: The most important thing any accident victim can do is to seek medical attention right away. This helps ensure that you have not sustained potentially life-threatening internal injuries, first of all, and will also create a medical paper trail that assists in proving you were injured and that your injuries were caused by the accident.
- Attending all doctor’s appointments: It is important that you do not skip any follow-up doctor’s appointments, even if you are feeling better. If you miss an appointment, the insurance company will not pass up the opportunity to downplay your injuries.
- Following your treatment plan: It is also important that you stick to the treatment plan your doctor creates for you. This will help you to heal as much as possible and show the insurer that you are doing everything in your power to facilitate your recovery. Just like skipping a doctor’s appointment, ignoring your doctor’s treatment plan may give the insurance company an opportunity to deny or devalue your claim.
- Keeping a written record: Keeping a daily journal that documents your recovery progress, your current pain levels, your mental state, and how your injuries are affecting your day-to-day life will allow you to demonstrate the full extent of the damage they caused and serve as a strong supporting piece of evidence in your claim.
All We Do Is Injury Law
Soft tissue injuries caused by car accidents can be serious and have a major impact on your daily life. If you were recently involved in a car accident, seeking prompt medical care and legal advice are essential to the outcome of your potential claim. The Virginia Beach personal injury attorneys at Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp have been achieving high-dollar settlements and verdicts to car accident claims since 1985. One example of this is the $300,000 settlement we obtained for a client who required multiple surgeries and a lengthy hospitalization after his vehicle was T-boned by another driver. To schedule a free case review with a member of our legal team, call (833) 997-1774 or fill out our quick contact form. We have offices in Virginia Beach, Hampton, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk, and Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.