Why do you need a personal injury attorney for a soft tissue injury you received in a car accident, motorcycle crash, or truck accident? Most people here in Shepherdsville and Bullitt County, Kentucky, who have actually suffered a soft tissue injury in a motor vehicle accident, believe they are uninjured in the hours and days after the accident itself. They often report feeling a little sore or even bruised or shaken up. Still, it’s not unusual for them to tell family, coworkers, social media, and even the insurance representative(s) that they’re “okay.”
Unfortunately, they are not okay. This is why it is essential to see a doctor as soon as possible after you are in any sort of motor vehicle accident. You see, the spinal column is one of the main parts of the body that absorbs the impact of any vehicle crash, even at low speed. The body actually thrashes around as multiple forces from the accident force it to move harshly and quickly in multiple directions. The faster each vehicle was moving at the time of impact, the greater the forces the human body has to endure.
Another reason you need a personal injury attorney for a soft tissue injury after a car accident is these injuries can take days, weeks, and even months before the body begins to present any symptoms at all. Why are the neck and spine particularly vulnerable to injuries in a motor vehicle crash? In any impact, the head jerks the neck from front to back, side to side, or in multiple directions in less than a second, based on the impact angle and the speed itself. The muscles, tendons, ligaments, and soft tissues that hold the spinal column together are twisted, pulled, pushed, and stretched.
Small discs separate the vertebrae in your spinal column from each other. They act as little pads between the bones of your spine and neck. The forces of an accident quite often result in microscopic tears in these small pads as the vertebrae are compressed, twisted, and pulled during impact. It can take several days, weeks, and even a few months for enough liquid to seep out of these tiny tears to the point where you experience immobilizing pain.
The day after the accident, you are walking around feeling very lucky. Three weeks after the accident, you are unable to get out of bed, in a lot of pain and missing out on work and life. Unfortunately, micro tears in spinal discs cannot be repaired through surgery. However, there are treatments to manage pain and improve mobility.
The back and neck soft tissues are going to absorb any of the forces associated with a motor vehicle collision. The neck, torso, and head are forcefully thrashed back and forth in many directions in the micro-seconds associated with an accident. This results in damage to the tendons, ligaments, muscles, and discs throughout your neck and back.
One minute, you post on social media that you’re okay and feeling lucky after the accident. Three weeks later, after learning you were actually injured during the car accident, the medical bills start to stack up. Unfortunately, the insurance company will reject your otherwise valid personal injury claim. They will use social media posts and interview your friends and coworkers, who will all say, “(You) said (you) were fine after the accident.”
“You must have hurt your neck/back somewhere else,” the insurance adjuster will say, “and you’re trying to use the car accident as an excuse to pay for it.”
This is why you need to see a doctor as soon as possible after any vehicle collision, even if it was just a minor impact.
Soft tissue injuries are unfortunately quite common after a car, truck, or motorcycle accident. They are pretty painful, force you to miss work, and require long-term medical care, including physical therapy and medication. In addition, the insurance representatives will try to get you to accept much less than you are rightfully owed, saying things like, “Well, you don’t really have a lot of medical bills” or “Your injuries aren’t that serious.” This is a massive understatement, a misrepresentation of their responsibilities to you after suffering injury in a motor vehicle accident.
Remember: insurance adjusters and agents have only one job, and that is to get you to take the lowest possible amount for your injuries as quickly as possible. This is not in your interests. They are not on your side. Their initial offer is often 10% of what they should actually be paying for your valid personal injury claim, if not less. Don’t be fooled.
We invite you to contact us via e-mail, schedule an appointment or call us today at (502) 509-1490 to get the important advice and counsel required to protect your personal injury claim and achieve full and fair compensation for having to endure and recover from your injuries. Learn why you need a personal injury attorney for a soft tissue injury, as well as how and why we are able to get you a much better settlement than you will ever achieve on your own.
