Soft Tissue Injuries: What You Need to Know

The most frequently reported injuries in U.S. insurance claims are neck sprains and strains, also known as whiplash or soft tissue injuries, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. These types of soft tissue injuries can cause you immense pain and cost you a lot of money.

These injuries are most frequently the result of high speed rear end collisions. An important thing to note is that soft tissue injuries can occur during low speed car accidents as well. Soft tissue injuries occur when the head is swung forward and back resulting in damage to the muscles, tendons and ligaments in the neck.

So, what do you need to know about whiplash or soft tissue injuries? Here are three things that can help you understand these injuries:

1. You May Not Feel The Effects Immediately After an accident, you might not notice any symptoms of soft tissue injuries. Immediately following an accident, it is common for adrenaline to kick in and trick the body into thinking it is fine. It could take hours, or possibly days, before you feel any neck pain, stiffness, headache, dizziness, blurred vision, or shoulder, arm, or back pain, which are all symptoms of whiplash. Remember, even if you are in a minor accident with no damage, do not just dismiss the other driver. You could possibly have a soft tissue injury and not know it yet. If you do not get the other driver’s information, then you could be left to pick up the bill yourself for medical costs. No matter how minor the accident, always get the other driver’s name, phone number, address and insurance information in case you start feeling an injury come on later.
2. Get to a Doctor Despite feeling any pain, do yourself a favor and see a doctor. If you do have an injury, make sure the doctor documents it as well as any necessary treatment. This documentation will be necessary later on to prove your claim.
3. Document Your Expenses To make sure that you get full and fair compensation for your whiplash injury, you need to document all of your expenses. This includes medical bills, lost wages and insurance co-pays. You may even be able to recover damages for pain and suffering.

If you or someone you love has been involved in an accident and suffered whiplash or a soft tissue injury, a Villages Auto Accident Lawyer at Whittel & Melton can help you understand what steps to take next. Call us today at 352-369-5334 or contact us online for a free consultation.