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If you managed to get out of a car accident in Manhattan with no visible injuries, that’s sheer luck. After all, Manhattan streets like Harlem are usually heavily jammed with traffic. So car accidents usually lead to severe injuries. Although you escaped with no visible injuries, sometimes, it’s highly possible to find yourself dealing with aches and pains in your neck, back, or shoulders. These are known as soft tissue injuries. Since there’s no visible damage like broken bones, they are harder to prove. But don’t give up on gaining maximum compensation when a skilled car accident lawyer Manhattan can fight for your rights.
What Exactly is a Soft Tissue Injury After a Car Accident?
A soft tissue injury refers to damage to the muscles, ligaments, or tendons in your body. Unlike broken bones, soft tissue injuries don’t show up on X-rays, which can make them trickier to diagnose. For the same reason, they are also difficult to prove unless your accident lawyer is really skilled.
In fact, you stand better chances if your accident lawyer is from the same area where the accident took place. To elaborate, an accident lawyer Queens is more familiar with how the courts in Queens function and similar Queens accident cases than a car accident lawyer Manhattan.
So if you have walked away from a Queens car crash feeling fine only to wake up the next day with unbearable neck pain or difficulty moving your back, then don’t just ignore it. Especially since an accident lawyer Queens works on a contingency fee basis, meaning you won’t have to pay unless they win your case.
3 Key Reasons Why Soft Tissue Injuries Are So Hard to Prove
Most of the time, insurance companies in Manhattan, Queens, and other areas in New York are reluctant to take soft tissue injuries seriously due to the following reasons:
- Delayed Symptoms: After a car accident, your body is flooded with adrenaline. This masks pain. Later on, it’s common for symptoms of soft tissue injuries like whiplash to appear (usually 24 to 48 hours after the accident). Insurance companies make this an opportunity to question whether the injury was really caused by the crash itself.
- Invisible Damage: Unlike a broken bone, which can be seen clearly on an X-ray, soft tissue injuries don’t show up on standard scans. This leads insurance adjusters to argue that the injury doesn’t exist or is being exaggerated even though you are in pain.
- Lack of Objective Evidence: Soft tissue injuries usually require more advanced diagnostic tests, like MRIs or CT scans, to show the extent of the damage. These tests are more expensive, and insurance companies know that many victims won’t have access to them right away.
Not to worry, a skilled and trusted Queens car accident lawyer can help you get the necessary medical documentation to prove the injury. You are deserving of the compensation your car accident case stands for.
For example, soft tissue injury verdicts in the Harlem area usually fall in the $100,000 to $250,000 range. If your case is more severe, it can lead to much higher awards. A Harlem personal injury lawyer will evaluate the case and compare it with past results to negotiate the best offer from insurance companies.
How a Car Accident Lawyer Manhattan Can Help You Prove Your Case
Whether your car accident happened in Queens, Harlem, or right in Manhattan, you should be hiring an experienced car accident lawyer in New York who understands the gravity of soft tissue injuries and fights aggressively to get you the highest compensation your case deserves.
Say your car accident happened in Harlem. Then a Harlem personal injury lawyer will work closely with medical professionals who are already familiar with common symptoms that arise after similar traffic accidents in Harlem and make sure that you get the diagnostic tests needed to back up your claim. This includes expensive tests such as MRIs or CT scans.
In addition, New York requires your soft tissue injury to meet the “serious injury” threshold to file a lawsuit for pain and suffering. So your accident lawyer Queens will gather evidence and provide a report detailing why your soft tissue injury has made it impossible for you to work or take care of your daily needs over a long time period.
What’s more, your car accident lawyer will also deal with insurance companies, handling all negotiations, so they have to take your soft injury seriously. Don’t let insurance companies downplay your injury and offer low settlements if you don’t have proper legal representation. The sooner you consult a Harlem personal injury lawyer, the better your chances of getting the full compensation you deserve.
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