Injuries that affect the ligaments, tendons, muscles, nerves, synovial membranes, and cartilage are called soft tissue injuries. Soft tissues surround and protect the bones, organs, and other structures in the body.

If your soft tissue injury was caused by a no-fault accident, you may be eligible to make a soft tissue injury claim for compensation.

We offer free legal advice about personal injury claims and a no-obligation review of your case. After reviewing your claim, we could partner you with one of our personal injury solicitors if there is a realistic chance that you’ll be compensated. To make the whole process less stressful, they’ll work on a No Win No Fee basis if you are taken on as a client. That means solicitor’s fees are only payable if you are paid compensation.

If you’d like to discuss a soft tissue injury claim right away, please call our team on 0800 6524 881 today. Or, to find out more before calling, please continue reading.

Am I Eligible To Make A Soft Tissue Injury Claim?

Before one of our No Win No Fee solicitors takes a soft tissue injury claim on, they’ll check that you have a fair chance of being compensated. To do this, they’ll check whether:

• A duty of care was owed to you by the defendant in the case; and
• A negligent act by the defendant caused an accident to occur; and
• You sustained soft tissue injuries during the accident.

An advisor will help to clarify whether you were owed a duty of care when you call to discuss your options. It is more common than you think and not something to be too concerned about. For example, a shop will have a duty of care to try and keep all customers in their shop safe. Similarly, your employer needs to introduce reasonable measures to try and protect your welfare at work.

What Causes Soft Tissue Injuries?

These types of injuries are caused when the soft tissues are overused or over-strained. This could happen due to different reasons in the workplace, on the sports field, while driving, or even while walking in a public place.

Workplace Accidents

In the workplace, soft tissues may become over-strained while lifting, pushing, or pulling heavy objects without using proper manual handling techniques. Faulty machinery at manufacturing plants and performing repetitive movements for extended periods of time are other common causes of soft tissue injuries.

Sports Accidents

Sports-related soft tissue injuries are extremely common, more so if you participate in high impact or fast-paced sports. However, many players get injured not because of the nature of the sport itself, but because of a negligent action or oversight on the part of a coach or another participant. If you’re injured participating in sports due to negligence you may also like to read our guide here to sports injury claims.

Whiplash

Whiplash, which is a type of soft tissue injury, is a common injury in road traffic accidents. Whiplash is caused due to sudden forwards, backwards, or sideways movement of the head in a road traffic accident, and is particularly common when unsuspectedly hit from behind. If you’ve suffered whiplash in a car accident you may find this guide useful.

Public Place Accidents

While walking in public places, soft tissue injuries can result from tripping and falling over an obstacle, twisting your ankle on an uneven paving slab, slipping on wet flooring, and similar accidents.

In all the above instances, you may have grounds for pursuing compensation for a soft tissue injury if the accident was caused due to somebody else’s mistake or negligence.

Common Types Of Soft Tissue Injuries

There are many different types of injuries that can be classed as soft tissue injuries. Some examples include:

While some soft tissue injuries will heal in a matter of weeks, others can lead to long-term complications. In some cases, they can increase the risk of arthritis in joints which can result in years of pain.

Negligence That Could Result In Compensation For Soft Tissue Damage

Some examples of negligence that could lead to soft tissue damage and compensation being claimed include:

• If you slipped on a spillage in a supermarket that wasn’t cleaned up promptly and injured yourself.
• Where you sustained neck injuries in a car crash because another driver was driving dangerously.
• If you tore a tendon at work when moving heavy items and hadn’t been trained on manual handling procedures.
• Where a child suffered bruising after falling off of a damaged climbing frame in a playground accident at school or in a park.
• If you tripped on an obstacle at work and injured an Achilles tendon because of damaged flooring.

These are just a few examples of when you could be eligible to claim compensation for soft tissue damage. Later on, we’ll explain what evidence you could use to try and win your case.

How Much Compensation Do You Get For Soft Tissue Injury?

The claims process is designed to compensate you for any pain and suffering (general damages) and any costs (special damages) caused by your soft tissue injury. The amount you might get if your case is won will depend entirely on how the soft tissue injury you’ve suffered has affected you. Depending on your circumstances, you could be compensated for:

• The physical impact your injuries and treatment have caused.
• Any stress, depression, anxiety or other psychological damage relating to your injuries.
• The impact your injuries have had on your hobbies, family life and social activities (loss of amenity).
• Travel expenses.
• Medical costs including private physiotherapy costs if necessary.
• Loss of earnings compensation. Future loss of earnings could also be requested if your injuries will affect your earning capacity in the future.
• Care costs if somebody else had to support you with daily tasks while you were recovering.
• The cost of making adaptations to your home or vehicle if you’re left with an ongoing disability after suffering soft tissue injuries.

It is important to think about all of the ways that your injuries have affected you before filing your claim. That’s because you can only apply for compensation once and once you’ve settled, you can’t ask for something you forgot to include. If you are represented by one of our specialist solicitors, they’ll always try to ensure that you are compensated fully for your suffering.

Average Payout Amounts For Soft Tissue Injuries

• £38,780 to £69,730 compensation for soft tissue damage causing severe back injury.
• Up to £12,510 compensation for soft tissue damage in minor back injuries.
• £45,470 to £55,590 compensation for severe soft tissue damage in the neck.
• Up to £7,890 for minor soft tissue injuries in the neck.
• Up to £13,740 for ruptured ligaments in feet.
• Up to £3,950 compensation for soft tissue injuries in the chest.

You should note that these are advised payout amounts for general damages and do not take into account special damages (differences of which are explained here), which will need to be calculated by a personal injury solicitor to get a more accurate estimation of what compensation you might actually be eligible to claim for.

As you can see, any settlement will typically be based mainly on the severity of your soft tissue injuries. This will be determined by a medical assessment that’s required for your claim. During your appointment, an independent specialist will review your medical notes and discuss the effects of your soft tissue injuries with you. They’ll then examine the current state of your injuries.

Once the meeting has ended, the specialist will write a report about your injuries and your prognosis. This will be forwarded to both parties involved in your claim.

Evidence To Support A Soft Tissue Injury Claim

Mose compensation claims end up being dealt with by an insurance company representing the defendant. Unless you can convince them about how their client caused your accident and the extent of your injuries, you may not be compensated fully if at all. To help with this, you should supply as much evidence for a soft tissue injury claim as possible including:

• Details of any witnesses to your accident. Your solicitor could ask them for a statement if liability for your accident is denied.
• Medical records and x-rays from the hospital or minor injuries that treated you. These could be used in conjunction with your medical assessment to prove the extent of your soft tissue injuries.
• Your copy of an accident report form. These are mandatory for most businesses and you’re entitled to ask for a copy if you did not receive one at the time you were injured.
• Photographs of the accident scene. Ideally, these should capture the cause of your accident and be taken before anything is repaired, replaced or moved.
• Footage from CCTV cameras or a dashcam to help establish how the accident happened. Data protection laws mean you are entitled to ask for a copy of any such footage of yourself but act quickly as it is usually deleted within weeks.

If you contact us for a free case review, your advisor will consider any evidence you’ve managed to secure already.

Time Limits For Claiming Soft Tissue Injury Compensation

There is a 3-year time limit when making a soft tissue injury claim. This begins from either the date of your accident or when you received a diagnosis from a doctor. The 3-year limitation period does not apply to cases involving children as an adult can claim on their behalf at any time before they turn 18-years old. Read more here on child injury claims.

We would suggest that you begin the soft tissue injury claims process as soon as possible rather than waiting. By doing so, you and your solicitor will have enough time to collect evidence and arrange for medical reports to be filed. Also, if needed, your solicitor might be able to secure funding for private medical treatment from the defendant before your claim is finalised.

Most claims can be settled in around 6-months if the defendant accepts that they were responsible right away. However, where extra negotiation is needed to prove liability or where your prognosis is not yet fully understood, claims can take longer than a year.

Starting A Soft Tissue Injury Claim

If you have decided to claim compensation for a soft tissue injury, you can call our advisors right now on 0800 6524 881.

If your claim is accepted, one of our No Win No Fee solicitors will handle everything on your behalf. You won’t need to worry about facing complex legal or medical questions as your solicitor will deal with all communication for you.

Thanks for reading our soft tissue injury claims guide and if you need any further information, please feel free to connect with us via our live chat service.