Soft Tissue Injuries from Car Accidents

When you get into a car accident, regardless of any sort of fault involved, there’s a lengthy list of possible injuries you could suffer from. A lot of them are severe and life-threatening — those are usually the ones that make the papers — but not all. Sometimes, the injuries don’t involve broken bones or require invasive medical treatment, but that doesn’t mean the injuries aren’t there, and that doesn’t mean you don’t get any sort of justice for suffering through them.

What are soft tissue injuries, exactly?

Anything that involves the tearing or fraying of ligaments and muscles or that results in bruising of the skin is considered a soft-tissue injury. Soft tissue injuries are not only caused by car accidents, but they often are. Even without immediate threat to your life, they can still be excruciatingly painful and require expensive medical treatment to cure over time. These are your sprains, contusions, and strains (such as whiplash, an incredibly common car accident injury — seen as the unfortunate trade-off for a working seatbelt).

• Sprains. Anyone who has experienced a sprained joint can tell you just how painful and irritating they are. Depending on the severity, the treatment can be anything from bedrest to a regimen akin to a proper break, and the effects can last a lifetime for some. Feeling pain in a joint that was once sprained when the weather is bad is a common phenomenon, for example.
• Bruises. Bruises can also be incredibly painful, albeit the more minor of the injuries. The soreness goes much deeper than the flesh and into the muscle itself, making movement and normal activity that much more difficult. Although rare, contusions can sometimes lead to permanent muscle damage.
• Strains. Strains are limited to whiplash. In fact, they usually happen in your back or hamstring, and behave most similarly to a sprain. It’s not just when a muscle is stretched taut like a rubber band, but also when that band snaps or tears. If it’s severe enough, this could require surgery.

How you can help your soft tissue injury claim

The nature of the beast of soft-tissue injuries is that they happen to parts of the body that aren’t easily seen with an x-ray. As opposed to a broken bone, it’s not so easy to prove that a soft-tissue injury even happened, let alone happened specifically because of the car accident in question. This makes it easy for defense attorneys and insurance companies to cast doubt on your case, either by accusing you of exaggerating your injuries or claiming it happened elsewhere.

A daunting obstacle, to be sure, and undoubtedly the reason why so many choose not to pursue their personal injury cases after a car accident. There are, however, ways to help your case and make sabotaging it as difficult as possible:

• Get medical attention immediately. Don’t give any of your injuries time to heal on their own, because they can heal incorrectly or inadequately, which can lead to more pain and problems later. Even if you don’t think it’s severe, having it on record that you required treatment right after the accident can only help you.
• Gather proof. Pictures of the accident and your injuries are incredibly helpful, and so are any witness testimony you’re able to find.
• Keep all documents. This is another form of proof. Insist your doctor puts all diagnoses and treatments in writing, and make sure you get a copy of it.
• Most importantly, get an attorney. Your attorney can not only help prove your injury is from the accident and severe enough to warrant compensation, but they can also help prove negligent driving on the other party’s side.

Car accident injuries are a lot to keep track of, with plenty of confusing moving parts and caveats. The right representation can clarify it all and make sure you get through it with the justice you deserve. At Gainsberg Injury and Accident Lawyers, P.C, our Chicago car accident attorneys are experienced with the most complicated of cases, and we are ready and happy to help you with yours. For more information, call us today at 312-600-9585 or contact us and we’ll put your worries to rest.