Soft-tissue injuries are common types of medical conditions associated with car crashes, truck wrecks, and other personal injury accidents.
Although the severity of soft-tissue injuries varies dramatically, they can be extremely painful and debilitating in some cases, affecting a victim's ability to perform their job and perform other daily tasks.
If you suffered serious soft-tissue injuries in an incident caused by another person or company's negligence, you may be entitled to compensation. However, even severe soft-tissue injuries may not show up on x-rays or other imaging scans, which can make proving the extent of your injuries—and securing a fair financial recovery—difficult. Fortunately, an experienced attorney can help you navigate the insurance claims and litigation processes. Here's what you should know if you're considering taking legal action for soft-tissue injuries sustained in a Georgia personal injury accident.
Types of Soft-Tissue Injuries
The term “soft-tissue injuries” refers to trauma or damage to the body's muscles, ligaments, or tendons. Common types of soft-tissue injuries include:
- “Whiplash” or cervical acceleration-deceleration (CAD) injuries
- Deep muscle bruises
- Muscle tears
- Strains and sprains
- Nerve damage
Soft-Tissue Injuries and Personal Injury Accidents
There's a reason why soft-tissue injuries and personal injury accidents often go hand in hand. Most soft-tissue injuries happen when a part of the body experiences a violent jolt or sudden and uncontrolled movements—not unlike those that occur in car, truck, motorcycle, bicycle, pedestrian, and train accidents.
Potential Damages for Soft-Tissue Injuries
If you suffered serious soft-tissue injuries in a Georgia personal injury accident, you may be entitled to compensation for both economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages compensate you for financial losses with quantifiable value such as accident-related medical expenses, property damages, lost wages, or the loss of earning capacity.
Of course, financial losses aren't the only damages personal injury victims can incur, which is where non-economic damages come in. Rather than compensating you for a monetary loss with a determinable value, non-economic damages attempt to compensate you for intangible, subjective losses like physical pain and suffering, emotional and psychological anguish, reduced quality of life, and other damages.
Challenges to Pursuing Compensation—and How an Attorney Can Help
Obtaining fair compensation for soft-tissue injuries can be difficult, if not impossible, without the representation of an accomplished personal injury attorney. Here are just a few examples of the challenges you may face while seeking compensation, as well as what you and your attorney can do to overcome them:
- Soft-tissue injuries don't show up on x-rays, MRIs, or other traditional diagnostics, but that doesn't mean there's nothing you can do to document and substantiate your claims. Your attorney can work closely with you and your doctor to ensure that your injuries—and their effects—are well documented.
- Symptoms of soft-tissue injuries can take hours or days to appear. Seeking immediate medical attention is essential to the outcome of any personal injury claim, but especially so in cases involving possible soft tissue damage. Letting the doctor know you've been in an accident and reporting even minor symptoms can help ensure an accurate diagnosis and make it possible to connect injuries that appear later.
- You and your attorney will have to work hard to convey the severity of your injuries and the effects they have on your life. In addition to careful and comprehensive medical records, a personal journal documenting the physical and emotional effects of your injuries can serve as valuable evidence to support your claim for damages.
Consult an Experienced Attorney About Your Soft-Tissue Injuries Case
Personal injury cases involving soft-tissue injuries have many layers of complexity. You can benefit from the representation of a skilled attorney. Contact Rechtman & Spevak today to schedule an appointment for a free, initial consultation with a member of our legal team. We look forward to discussing your case with you.
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