Soft tissue injuries include damage to ligaments, tendons, muscles and bones. These injuries can be contusions (bruises), muscle strains, sprains and stress fractures, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) says.
Recovery from a soft tissue injury may include time spent under medical care followed by time away from work. This means the injury victim faces medical expenses and lost income in addition to the pain and suffering caused by their soft tissue injury.
If you have suffered a soft tissue injury in an accident that was not your fault, you could be entitled to compensation for medical and/or living expenses and for your pain and suffering.
The dedicated Tampa soft tissue injury lawyers at Disparti Law Group Accident & Injury Lawyers, P.A., can help you obtain the compensation you deserve. Contact our Tampa soft tissue injury attorneys today for a free initial consultation at 866-678-1184, or complete our online contact form.
Disparti Law Group Accident & Injury Lawyers attorneys have more than 30 years of experience pursuing personal injury cases. We represent clients from Tampa, Holiday, St. Petersburg, Sarasota, Port Charlotte, Fort Myers, Naples, Bonita Springs, and all across Florida and the U.S. Don’t take on the insurance companies by yourself. Allow us to put our decades of experience and knowledge to work on your behalf.
Common Soft Tissue Injuries
Injuries to ligaments, tendons and muscles are known as “soft tissue” injuries. These types of injuries may result from:
- Slip-and-fall accidents
- Sudden twisting or a blow to the body (such as happens in a car crash)
- Repeated stress over a long period of time, such as many workers suffer.
The AAOS says the most common soft tissue injuries are:
- Sprains – stretching or tearing a ligament
- Strains – stretching or tearing a tendon or muscle
- Contusions – a bruise caused by a blow to muscles, tendons or ligaments
- Tendonitis – inflammation in a tendon caused by repeated stress
- Bursitis – swelling and irritation of the bursa (a fluid-filled sac between a bone and a tendon or muscle) in the shoulder, elbow, hip, knee or ankle
- Stress injuries – including stress fractures, tiny breaks in a bone caused by overuse.
The physical damage of a soft tissue injury causes pain, swelling and loss of mobility in the injured limb. These injuries are usually treated with ice to ease swelling and a period of rest followed by light exercise. Fractures may require splints or casts. The AAOS says soft tissue injuries can require a long time to heal.
American workers in so-called labor-heavy jobs are particularly susceptible to soft tissue injuries. The Liberty Mutual Insurance Company’s annual Workplace Safety Index says in its 2011 edition that the top 10 most common causes of on-the-job injuries are:
- Overexertion caused by lifting, pushing, pulling, holding, carrying or throwing objects
- Falls to the same level
- Falls to a lower level
- Reaction (twist, stress, strain) to bending, climbing, reaching, standing, sitting, and slipping or tripping without falling
- Being struck by an object, such as a falling tool or material
- Car or truck accident (called “highway incident” in the Index)
- Being caught in or compressed by equipment or objects
- Being pushed against an object, such as being slammed into a door
- Repetitive motion injuries caused by repeated stress or strain
- Acts of violence (such as an assault).
Legal Help for Florida Soft Tissue Injury Victims
Workers who suffer injuries on the job are eligible for workers’ compensation benefits to help pay for medical bills, rehabilitation and other costs of their recovery. In the event of a worker’s death on the job, workers’ compensation should pay a benefit to the worker’s survivors.
Unfortunately, the workers’ compensation system often denies claims, leaving injured workers or their family members to battle lawyers hired by their employer’s workers’ compensation insurer in a lengthy and complicated appeals process.
Meanwhile, the same common workplace injuries identified by the Liberty Mutual Index can occur anywhere. In addition to injuries in car crashes, many people are injured at places like retail stores, apartment complexes or sports arenas in fall-down or slip-and-fall accidents, when objects fall on them or by acts of violence. Businesses, governmental agencies, schools and other organizations have a legal duty to create and maintain premises that are safe and free of hazards. This includes ensuring proper security against violence.
When another person or company harms you or damages something that belongs to you intentionally or because they were negligent, they may be liable under Florida’s personal injury laws.
But keep in mind: Florida residents have four years after suffering an injury to file a personal injury lawsuit in most cases. Medical malpractice and wrongful death lawsuits must be filed within two years. Contacting a Florida soft tissue injury lawyer as soon as possible after your injury will ensure that the statute of limitations does not prohibit your legal claim.
Contact a Florida Soft Tissue Injury Lawyer Today for Help
If your soft tissue injury is the result of a workplace accident, a car wreck or another accident that was someone else’s fault, it is important to seek the assistance of an experienced Florida soft tissue injury attorney as soon as you can.
Contact Disparti Law Group Accident & Injury Lawyers, P.A., toll free at 866-678-1184 or complete our online questionnaire to obtain a free, no-obligation initial consultation.
If our Florida soft tissue injury lawyers believe they can successfully pursue your case, we will do so on a contingency-fee basis, which means we will not charge for our services until you recover compensation for your injuries. Please call as soon as you can to ensure that you do not waive your right to seek compensation for your soft tissue injuries.