After a car accident, you might have injuries that are either immediately apparent or develop later over time. Soft tissue injuries can fall into both of these categories and can cause minimal pain or severely impact your life. Even though these are valid injuries that affect your daily life, insurance companies sometimes downplay soft tissue injuries and might try to grant you less compensation for them.
Soft tissue injuries affect your muscles, ligaments, and tendons. These parts of your body are key in movement and stabilization, which are huge functions of your daily life. One of the most common soft tissue injuries after a car accident is whiplash, which affects your neck after your head is whipped from one side to another.
Although you can’t see an injury like whiplash, it can greatly affect your life in terms of pain, function, and everyday tasks, so you’ll need legal representation to make a case and attempt to get your life back to how it was before the accident, physically, emotionally, and financially.
When you hire a Charleston car accident lawyer from DiPiero Simmons McGinley & Bastress, we will fully investigate what happened to ensure that you get the full amount of compensation you need to return to your normal life. But first, let’s look at what you need to know about how your auto insurance company will likely handle your soft tissue injury after a collision.
How to Prove a Soft Tissue Injury to Your Auto Insurer
When you’ve been in an auto wreck and get a soft tissue injury, it is essential that you have proof of any injuries and their severity for your car accident claim. When it comes to soft tissue injuries, you’ll want as much documentation of your injuries as possible because they usually are not visible from the outside, so insurance companies might dismiss your injuries or assume they’re less severe.
The best way to get this proof is to see a medical professional and get your injury evaluated immediately after your accident, and to keep visiting if your pain or other symptoms get worse so they can be tracked. Even though these injuries might not show in an X-ray or MRI and are hard to diagnose, telling your doctor your pain levels can allow them to properly evaluate you and provide you with a proper diagnosis. Documentation from a doctor for your soft tissue injury allows you to substantiate your claim and prevents insurance companies from claiming you’re exaggerating.
What Soft Tissue Injuries Are Commonly Caused by Car Accidents?
You might be wondering what specific injuries are considered soft tissue injuries so that you know when you might have more trouble dealing with an insurance company. Here are the soft tissue injuries that car accidents commonly cause:
- Sprains. When you have a sprain, it is an injury to a ligament. For example, you sprain your wrist.
- Strains. When you have a strain, it is an injury to a muscle or tendon. For example, you strain your quadricep.
- Bruises. A bruise, or contusion, happens when your body experiences trauma that causes blood to be on the outside of its vessels.
- Tendinitis. When tendons become swollen and inflamed, it’s called tendinitis.
- Bursitis. A small, fluid-filled sac cushions bones and other parts of joints and is called a bursa. When this becomes inflamed, it’s called bursitis.
- Whiplash. As discussed earlier, whiplash is a type of soft tissue injury that affects the muscles in your neck as well as the discs, ligaments, spine, and nerves in the area.
After a soft tissue injury that was caused by a collision that wasn’t your fault, you’ll want a Charleston car accident attorney to help you navigate the claims process, and help you deal with your insurance company. DiPiero Simmons McGinley & Bastress, PLLC, can provide you with expert guidance through your case and fight to secure you financial and emotional justice for your injuries. Set up a free consultation with us today so that we can discuss your potential car accident claim.
