Maison Law represents injured car accident victims in California. If you or a loved one has been injured in a vehicle accident, the accident attorneys at Maison Law are here to get you the compensation you need to fully recover from your damages. Contact Maison Law today for a free consultation and case evaluation.
What is a Soft Tissue Injury?
You may not be able to see a soft tissue injury, but that does not mean you’re not experiencing pain, discomfort, and other troublesome symptoms. Soft tissue damage can range from uncomfortable to severe. If this type of damage goes untreated, it can potentially negatively impact your life for years, leading to even more debilitating injuries. For this reason, it is imperative to get checked out by a medical professional, even if you’re feeling slight discomfort.
Soft tissue injuries can occur almost anywhere on your body. These types of injuries typically include sprains and strains of muscles, tendons, ligaments, fat, and other similar tissue found throughout your body. What makes soft tissue injuries difficult to diagnose is that they do not show up easily on imaging like X-rays and MRIs. However, a main identifier of soft tissue injuries is significant pain in your joints.
Average Soft Tissue Injury Settlement
The amount your soft tissue injury settles for is dependent on your economic and non-economic damages. These damages combined include:
- Hospital bills
- Current and future medical treatment
- Lost income
- Future lost earnings
- Physical therapy
- Surgery (if necessary)
- Loss of consortium (a claim filed by a spouse or loved one for loss of love or companionship)
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of enjoyment of life
In addition, the value of each of these damages will be dependent on their severity. The more severe your damages, the greater your compensation will be. For example, if your medical treatment costs more than $100,000, then it would not be out of the realm of possibility to request a settlement of over $100,000. However, it is important to note that each personal injury case is unique and the outcomes can vary.
Factors that Contribute to Your Soft Tissue Injury Settlement
Lots of car accidents are a result of both drivers being at fault. In this scenario, California’s shared fault law or Comparative Negligence Law would come into play. The law states:
“Under the pure comparative negligence rule, the state allows the plaintiff to claim damages for the 1% they are not at fault even when they are 99% at fault.”.
In a case where both drivers are at fault, the jury would assign you a percentage of fault in the accident. So, while you can still be awarded damages, your overall settlement will be reduced by that percentage of fault. For this reason, it is important to have an experienced personal injury attorney to gather evidence to support your claim.
Another factor that contributes to your settlement amount is the amount of coverage provided by the liable party’s insurance. If the at-fault driver carries auto insurance with a policy limit that will not cover half your medical bills, you are likely to go under-compensated. However, an accident attorney can help you pursue alternative means of compensation, whereas the insurance company will be limited in covering your damages. Even if the other driver is uninsured, there are other ways an accident attorney can seek compensation on your behalf.
Should I Call a Lawyer After a Car Accident in California?
If you’ve sustained verifiable injuries from a car accident, it is advisable to seek the counsel of a reputable attorney. Accident attorneys generally provide accident victims with free legal counsel. By partnering with an attorney, they will be responsible for:
- Gathering evidence at the crash scene, including police reports, traffic camera footage, and witness statements
- Providing a thorough medical evaluation from trusted medical professionals to fully understand how much current and future medical treatment your injuries require
- Obtaining all records from the drivers involved in order to determine fault
- Negotiating with insurance companies for a fair settlement
- Representing you in court if a fair settlement cannot be reached
Contact a Car Accident Lawyer in California
If you or a loved one has been involved in a car accident in California, the personal injury attorneys at Maison Law are standing by to help you get the compensation you need. We understand the enormous medical costs associated with vehicle accidents and will aggressively pursue a settlement to match the full extent of your damages. If a settlement cannot be reached, then our firm will represent you in court and advocate on your behalf.
Contact Maison Law today for a free consultation and case evaluation.
