SEPTA passengers who are injured in transit accidents are susceptible to a wide range of injuries. While broken bones and head wounds are serious concerns, there are other common injury types you may not realize can also have long-term impacts. These “soft tissue” injuries occur when the victim in a crash suffers trauma to ligaments, joints, muscles, and tendons.
Types of Soft Tissue Injuries From SEPTA Accidents
Even at low speed, the force and weight of a SEPTA bus can cause significant physical damage in an accident. These are the most common types of soft tissue injuries that may result from a bus or trolley crash:
- Bruising occurs when the skin becomes discolored and swollen.
- Spraining happens when a ligament suffers a small tear, resulting in pain, spasms, and cramps.
- Strains are sudden painful stretching of tendons or muscles, or in more severe cases even direct tearing. While strains typically heal on their own through rest, they can also require surgical treatment.
- Other tendon damage is also possible, such as inflammation that requires oral medication or shots.
- Whiplash often results in neck, back, and shoulder issues when the violent motion of a collision forces your head to suddenly move back and forth.
Soft tissue injuries can have lingering effects such as chronic pain and stiffness that may interfere with your ability to work or go about everyday tasks. You may end up dealing with major medical expenses, and that’s a serious problem if you can’t return to work while recovering from these injuries.
To remain financially stable, you can seek an insurance settlement or take SEPTA to court if your injury was caused by negligence. Either route can be extremely difficult without an experienced personal injury attorney’s assistance.
Because they aren’t as visibly obvious as cuts or broken bones, insurance carriers often try to deny claims involving soft tissue injuries by claiming the damage was pre-existing. That’s why it is imperative to thoroughly document the accident by reporting the incident to the SEPTA driver, immediately see a doctor who can establish a clear paper trail on the extent of your injuries, and then contact an attorney.
If You Were Hurt on SEPTA Property, You Need a Lawyer
After a negligence-related accident, you have a legal right to recover compensation, but you need an attorney who knows how to handle the unique challenges in SEPTA cases. Our skilled legal team wants to learn more about your accident to find out if we are the right fit to help. Get in touch today to set up a consultation.
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