In car accident cases, things like soft tissue injuries and sprains are quite common. These types of injuries can be very painful and disruptive to daily life and can be difficult to prove. This is why documenting everything after a car accident is vital to a successful case. This post will cover soft tissue injuries and the steps to take to ensure you receive fair compensation.
About Soft Tissue Injuries
A soft tissue injury means bruising, spraining, straining, etc. It is basically damage to tendons and muscles in the body as opposed to an injury involving bone. These types of injuries can also include whiplash, which is an injury that involves the neck and spine, as well as other injuries involving the shoulder, knee, elbow, and hands.
Painful and Potentially Long-Lasting
A lot of the time, insurance adjusters will try to trivialize these soft tissue injuries, especially ones concerning whiplash. These injuries, however, are not a joke and can be very serious. Car accidents can be traumatic experiences for a lot of people. After the crash, you may experience consistent neck and back pain and headaches. It’s possible an x-ray will not indicate any injuries, so it’s important to communicate with a medical professional that you are experiencing pain and discomfort. In some cases, soft tissue injuries can last for over six months and cause complications. This will require ongoing medical care. If this happens to be the case, you are entitled to financial compensation for all medical treatment due to soft tissue injuries. You will also be eligible for compensation that helps pay for missed time at work and pain and suffering.
Document Your Medical Treatment!
Making sure you are compensated for your injuries and other costs related to the accident means having clear documentation of all treatment received. First, you should request medical records and copies of bills related to the treatment from the health care provider. It’s possible they may charge a fee for the records. The personal injury lawyer you hired may or may not cover these costs, but the fee will be deducted from the settlement.
Demand Letters
A demand letter is used to negotiate a settlement because a personal injury lawsuit is filed in court. Insurance adjusters often dispute soft tissue injuries and may claim that they were pre-existing. That’s why you need a strong demand letter that is well written and strongly detailed.
Going to Trial
For one reason or another, you may need to file a personal injury lawsuit if negotiations don’t go well. This usually happens when the insurance company isn’t offering a fair settlement. Like any injury case, there are risks to going to trial. Even if you have legitimate documented evidence of your injuries and ongoing treatment, juries may be reluctant to award compensation. Trials can be time consuming as well as expensive. Discuss your options with an experienced personal injury attorney before proceeding.