The crash force of an accident puts tremendous strain on the body’s structural system, including not only the bones but also the tendons and ligaments connecting the muscles to the bones. Soft tissue injury commonly refers to damage to tendons and ligaments, but soft tissue in the body also includes skin, muscles, organs, blood vessels, and nerves. Injuries to these soft-tissue structures are the most common car accident injuries in Washington and elsewhere, causing pain, discomfort, and sometimes more serious damages. It’s important to contact an experienced car accident lawyer in Edmonds for support and guidance.
What Common Soft Tissue Injuries Occur in Washinton Car Accidents?
Crash experts acknowledge that three collisions occur in every car accident—the initial collision between two vehicles or between one vehicle and an object, then the collision of a motorist’s body and the seatbelt (or the dash or windshield if they are unrestrained) and finally, the collision of organs and other structures inside the body. Common soft-tissue injuries from car accidents include the following:
- Whiplash: this is an injury to the soft-tissue structures in the neck caused by the rapid, whip-like, back-and-forth or side-to-side motion of the head in a collision causing the neck to over-extend, stretching and tearing the tendons and ligaments attaching the muscles to the cervical vertebrae
- Soft-tissue sprains: sprains occur when a collision causes the ligaments connecting the bones to overstretch, causing damage
- Soft-tissue strains: a strain is similar to a sprain but refers to an injury to the tendons rather than ligaments
- Contusions: a contusion is a bruise caused by blunt force trauma damaging the soft tissue fibers of skin, fat, muscles, and organs, allowing blood to seep from capillaries and blood vessels, resulting in discoloration, tenderness, and inflammation
- Lacerations: the metal, plastic, and glass structures of a vehicle collapse inward at the points of impact in a car accident, sometimes cutting a motorist’s skin or piercing through the layers of skin, fat, and muscles
While lacerations are immediately noticeable car accident injuries, other soft-tissue injuries may not develop symptoms until hours or even days after the accident as adrenaline dissipates and inflammation builds up in the soft tissue causing pain, stiffness, and other symptoms.
What Damages Can I Recover In Soft-Tissue Injuries In Washington Car Accident Claims?
It’s always advisable to have a medical evaluation after a car accident, even if you believe your injuries are minor. Delaying medical care can make it more challenging to prove that the injuries occurred in the car accident in an accident claim later. A successful car accident claim in Washington requires proving an at-fault driver liable for damages and then recovering those damages from the at-fault party’s insurance company. Common damages in car accident claims include the following:
- Property damage
- Reimbursement for emergency medical care
- Future medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Future income loss
- Compensation for pain and suffering
- Compensation for other non-economic damages that sometimes apply like PTSD, scarring, disfigurement
Soft-tissue injuries may cause significant pain and limited range of motion. For instance, torn ACL or MCL in the knees sometimes require surgery and take months to heal, often requiring time away from work.
How Can a Car Accident Attorney in Washington Help?
Proving injuries and damages in a car accident requires medical evidence. Obtaining compensation for those damages requires documenting evidence of liability—typically a driver’s negligence or reckless action leaves them liable under the state’s fault-based car accident laws. At Wells Trumbull, our Edmonds personal injury lawyers understand the toll car accident injuries have on the victim and their families. Contact Wells Trumbull for representation by long-time legal advocates who are ready to obtain the maximum compensation available to you in your Washington soft-tissue injury claim.