If you are suffering with painful soft tissue injuries in San Antonio caused by the careless behavior of another person or entity, you may be entitled to compensation. First, though, you will have to convince the jurors that your injuries and your symptoms are real and significant. Here, our San Antonio soft-tissue injury lawyers explain our three-pronged approach to success in these cases.
What is Soft Tissue Injuries in San Antonio?
A soft tissue injury is damage to ligaments, muscles and tendons (the “soft tissues”) of the body. Sprains, strains and tears are all types of soft-tissue injuries. For example, whiplash is a soft tissue injury caused by a sudden and forceful overstretching of the soft tissues in the neck.
Soft tissue injuries can result in pain, bruising, swelling, loss of function, and, if the injury is to the soft tissue of the brain (as with a concussion or other traumatic brain injury), cognitive issues, including memory loss and difficulty concentrating.
Proving a Soft-Tissue Injuries in San Antonio at Trial: A Three-Pronged Strategy
To ensure you obtain fair compensation for the harm done to you, our San Antonio soft-tissue injury lawyers will use a three-pronged approach to prove the nature and severity of your soft-tissue injuries:
- Educate the jury;
- Establish your credibility;
- Show jurors how you were injured.
Educate the Jury
Juries (and insurance adjusters) tend to be skeptical of soft-tissue injuries in large part because there is no objective proof the injury exists. Pain – the main symptom of a soft-tissue injury – is subjective. Compare this to a broken bone, which can be seen on an X-ray, or a scar, which is visible to the naked eye.
To educate the jury about the nature and extent of your injuries, we will present expert witness testimony from physicians and physical therapists who will outline your diagnosis; discuss the mechanism by which a soft tissue injury occurs; and explain that the pain of a soft-tissue injury is real and can have a significant long-term impact. We also may present objective medical evidence from scientific reports and journals.
The medical evidence will help jurors understand the nature and severity of your injuries and will help to offset any negative preconceptions jurors may have about individuals who claim to be in pain when there is no visible evidence of an injury.
Establish your Credibility
Because pain is subjective, establishing your credibility with the jury will be absolutely imperative to proving your injuries and achieving a successful outcome in your case. To establish your credibility, we may introduce into evidence your diary or pain journal, or a calendar listing all your medical appointments, or any other documentation you have that shows how your injuries have affected your everyday life. Testimony from your family and friends also can be helpful in painting a before-and-after picture of your life and demonstrating the impact of the pain caused by your soft-tissue injury.
Show the Jury how you were Injured
Our San Antonio soft-tissue injury lawyers will show the jurors how you were injured by presenting physical evidence and testimony about the incident that caused your injuries. This evidence might include photographs of the vehicles or the site where you slipped and fell; video recordings of the accident; surveillance video; eyewitness testimony; police reports and testimony; accident reports; and, perhaps, the testimony of an accident investigator or reconstruction specialist. All of this evidence will provide the jurors with a visual explanation of the physical trauma you have endured.
Contact Us
Our experienced San Antonio soft-tissue injury lawyers know the type of evidence that resonates with jurors and insurance adjusters. We can help you present a compelling soft-tissue injury case and obtain fair compensation for your injuries. If you would like to talk with us, please call us or use the contact form on this page to tell us about your situation.