Soft tissue injuries such as whiplash are incredibly common after a car accident. However, it might take hours, days, or even weeks to realize that you’ve been injured. The longer it takes to diagnose an injury, the harder it can be to prove that your accident caused it. As a result, it can be challenging to successfully recover the compensation you deserve.
If you’ve suffered a soft tissue injury in a Los Angeles car accident, you should not hesitate to speak with an attorney. At Citywide Law Group, our personal injury lawyers know how much a soft tissue injury can interfere with your life. We also know how important money can be as you fight to get back on your feet. Our goal is to make sure that you’re fairly compensated for your soft tissue injuries. Call our law firm today to schedule a free consultation and learn more.
How Do Car Accidents Cause Soft Tissue Injuries?
Soft tissue injuries are those that affect the muscles, ligaments, and tendons. When you’re in a car accident, the force of impact can cause your body to overextend, stretch, or move in ways that aren’t natural. This overextension causes soft tissue damage.
Car accidents can cause many different types of soft tissue injuries, including:
- Whiplash
- Sprains
- Sprains
- Contusions
- Brachial Plexus Lesion
- Carpel Tunnel Syndrome
- Tendinitis
- Bursitis, and
- Rotator Cuff Injury.
It’s important to be conscious of any side effects or pains that you experience in the days after a car accident. If you believe that you’ve suffered a soft tissue injury, visit your doctor right away.
Proving That Your Car Accident Caused Your Soft Tissue Injury
You’re only entitled to compensation for injuries that were caused by your car accident. Sometimes proving that an accident caused an injury is straightforward. This typically happens when injuries – such as broken bones or amputated limbs – are visible and apparent immediately after a collision. There’s generally no question about whether or not the crash caused those injuries.
Other times, it can be more difficult to establish a causal link between an accident and injury. This tends to happen when injuries aren’t visible or apparent right away. Since a soft tissue injury can take a while to manifest, it can be difficult to prove that the accident caused it.
An experienced personal injury attorney will have experience handling these types of challenges. At Citywide Law Group, our attorneys know how to investigate your case and gather the evidence that’s necessary to establish a link between the accident and your injury. We’ll work closely with experts, including medical professionals and accident recreationists, to identify precisely how your injury was sustained.
Understanding the Long-Terms Effects of Your Soft Tissue Injury
Most soft tissue injuries will heal in the months after your accident. During this time, you may not be able to work and bring in an income. If this is true, you have the right to obtain compensation from the person who caused your injury. You can request to be reimbursed for:
- Lost wages and income during your recovery
- Vacation and sick days, and
- Other benefits you were forced to use while recovering.
There may be times when a soft tissue injury lingers and does not heal. If this happens, your ability to work could be compromised for a long time. You didn’t ask to suffer a debilitating injury. You shouldn’t have to suffer the consequences on your own.
If your soft tissue injury results in a temporary or permanent disability, you may be entitled to damages for your reduced earning capacity. In other words, you can be compensated for the difference between what you would have earned without your injury and what you are capable of earning now.
It can be tough to know how much your soft tissue injury case is worth. If you decide to pursue compensation on your own, an insurance company will probably have the final say. In turn, you probably will not be fully compensated for your injury. The best thing you can do is to hire an attorney to handle your case.
Since 2010, the attorneys at Citywide Law Group have been forming professional relationships with some of the most respected experts in Los Angeles. These experts can provide invaluable insight as we investigate your case. Medical, vocational, and disability experts will help us determine how your injury has compromised your ability to earn a living.
We’ll approach insurance companies with strong arguments backed by well-respected experts. This will help us to recover the compensation you need and deserve after your accident.
Filing a Timely Soft Tissue Injury Case
You could miss out on the compensation you deserve if you wait too long to file your personal injury claim. California limits the amount of time you have to initiate a legal claim after an accident. Generally speaking, you have two years from the date of your accident to file a personal injury claim.
What happens if it takes some time to realize that you’ve been injured? What if you don’t learn that your injury was caused by your accident right away? The statute of limitations that applies to your case can be extended in certain situations. You may have additional time to file a claim if there’s a reasonable delay in the discovery of your injury. Once you discover your injury, you will have additional time to pursue compensation.
How do you know how much time you have to file a claim? The answer really depends on the specific circumstances of your case. If you didn’t discover your injury right away, you might have more time than is traditionally granted. If the government played a role in causing your accident, you might have a very limited window of time to ask for compensation. Hiring an attorney who has experience with soft tissue injury cases will help to protect your rights.
Need Help?
Have you suffered a soft tissue injury in a Los Angeles car accident? Do you want to learn more about your legal rights and options? Contact the attorneys at Citywide Law Group for immediate assistance. We can help you fight for the money you need to get back on your feet. Call our office today to schedule a free case assessment.
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