Soft Tissue Injuries

Injuries to soft tissue can result from a variety of accidents, from a slip and fall to a car crash. They can also range in severity, depending on the extent of the impact as well as where the injury occurs. If a soft tissue injury is caused by someone else’s negligent actions, victims may pursue a personal injury lawsuit to seek proper compensation from those who were responsible. The Miami soft tissue injurys at the Law Offices of Robert Dixon can assist victims of all kinds of accidents in seeking damages from at-fault parties, while they focus on their physical and emotional recovery. Our firm represents people in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties, as well as elsewhere in South Florida.

Negligence is often the basis for a lawsuit arising from a soft tissue injury. To prove negligence, a victim, or plaintiff, must show that he or she was owed a duty of care by the defendant to act as a reasonable and prudent person would have acted under similar circumstances. The plaintiff must also show that the duty was breached and that the breach was a proximate cause of their injuries. In other words, he or she would not have been hurt if the defendant had met the applicable standard of care, and the accident was a foreseeable result of the breach.

For instance, property owners owe visitors a duty of care to keep their premises in a reasonably safe condition. If a visitor is injured due to a hazard on another party’s property, that owner might be deemed to have breached the duty of reasonable care.

Damages available in these types of claims may provide compensation for both economic and non-economic forms of harm. These may include past and future medical costs, loss of income and earning capacity, the costs of future treatment, property damage, and pain and suffering. It is critical to take action within the appropriate statute of limitations to assert the right to damages.

Soft tissue injuries are those that affect tendons, ligaments, muscles, or bones. According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, the most common soft tissue injuries include:

• Strains, which occur when a tendon or muscle is stretched or torn;
• Sprains, which occur when a ligament is stretched or torn;
• Contusions or bruising brought on by a strong impact to a muscle, tendon, or ligament;
• Tendonitis, which is an inflammation in a tendon brought on by repeated stress;
• Stress injuries which are small fractures or tiny breaks in the bone due to overuse; or
• Bursitis, which occurs when a bursa (the sac filled with fluid located between a bone and muscle or tendon) is swollen or irritated. This injury can affect joints in an individual’s shoulders, hips, knees, ankles, or elbows.

Soft tissue injuries may have a long recovery time, especially if they affect an area used often by a victim. These injuries usually result in swelling, pain, and decreased mobility. Causes of soft tissue injuries include falls, car or truck accidents, and work-related repetitive movements.

Soft tissue injuries come in an array of shapes and sizes, some more common like a back injury or whiplash, and others that may be harder to diagnose or discover. Regardless of the type, these injuries often take a long time to heal, since they may require rest to the area that can significantly limit movement and activity. The Miami soft tissue injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Robert Dixon can help people who have been hurt in an accident with their legal claims. We also assist victims in Miami, West Palm Beach, and other South Florida cities. Call 877.499.4878 or contact us online for a free, no-obligation consultation with a personal injury or wrongful death.