Soft Tissue Injury Claims

Can I make a soft tissue injury claim?

To make a valid soft tissue injury claim, you need to be able to prove three things:

1. Proof of injury: Even with something like minor soft tissue damage, you should have medical evidence such as a doctor’s note to show how you’ve been hurt.
2. Breach of duty: This is a legal term for an organisation’s failure to keep you safe. For example, under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, employers have a duty to provide safe working conditions.
3. Causation: This legal term means that an organisation’s negligence, such as an unsafe workplace, led to your soft tissue injury.

Our Manchester soft tissue injury solicitors will take your details and ensure you qualify based on these three factors. We’ll also help you gather evidence to support your claim.

What is a soft tissue injury?

A soft tissue injury is damage to the non-bony parts of your body, mainly muscles, ligaments, and tendons. These tissues connect, support, and stabilise your bones and joint. Symptoms of a soft tissue injury include pain, swelling, and limited movement.

There are two leading causes of soft tissue injuries:

Acute soft tissue injuries

Acute soft tissue injuries are caused by a sudden impact, like a fall, twist, or blow. This can result in sprains (ligament tears), strains (muscle tears), or contusions (bruises).

Overuse soft tissue injuries

These injuries develop gradually over time from repetitive motions that stress the tissues without proper rest for healing. Common overuse injuries include tendinitis (inflammation of a tendon) and bursitis (inflammation of a fluid-filled sac near a joint).

If you have sustained a soft tissue injury from negligence or an accident that wasn’t your fault, then you may be entitled to make a claim for personal injury compensation.

Our team of solicitors are experienced in soft tissue injury claims and advocating for our client’s best interests throughout the legal process. Please get in touch with us today to find out more.

What accidents can cause a soft tissue injury?

Soft tissue injuries can result from various types of accidents and activities. Some common causes of soft tissue injuries include:

• Falls: Falling from heights, slipping on a wet surface, or tripping over obstacles can lead to strains, sprains, and contusions.
• Sports injuries: Participation in sports activities, especially those involving sudden stops, twists, or impacts, can cause soft tissue injuries such as strains, sprains, and contusions.
• Road traffic accidents: The sudden impact of a car accident can cause road users soft tissue injuries throughout the body, including whiplash (a type of neck strain) and contusions from hitting objects inside the vehicle.
• Workplace incidents: Lifting heavy objects, repetitive motions, slips, trips, and falls at the workplace can result in strains, sprains, and other soft tissue injuries.
• Employers have a legal duty of care to ensure their employees are working in a safe environment.
• Accidental impacts: Accidentally bumping into objects or being struck by falling objects can result in soft tissue injuries like contusions or strains.

Soft tissue injury compensation and claim value

There are no set compensation amounts for soft tissue injuries. Instead, our Northwest personal injury solicitors will look at general damages (how serious your injury is) and special damages (any money you’ve lost as a result).

The Judicial College sets guideline compensation amounts based on previous cases. These cover general damages only but can serve as a helpful guideline.

Compensation amounts for minor soft tissue injuries (Up to £9,500)

These typically involve sprains, strains, or minor muscle tears that are expected to heal fully within a few weeks or months. The compensation amount may consider factors like pain and suffering during the healing period, any temporary limitations on your daily activities, and out-of-pocket expenses for medications or physical therapy. The recent Whiplash Reform Programme particularly affects claims in this category, with injuries valued at £5,000 or less following a set tariff designed to streamline the process for these less severe cases.

Compensation amounts for moderate soft tissue injuries (£9,500 – £27,760)

These injuries involve more extensive muscle or ligament damage that takes longer to heal and may cause some lingering pain or discomfort. They might also limit your mobility or ability to perform certain activities for a more extended period. Compensation in this range would likely account for these factors, along with potential lost income if you were unable to work while recovering. Private medical bills and any ongoing treatment costs would also be factored in.

Compensation amounts for severe soft tissue injuries (Over £38,780)

These are the most serious soft tissue injuries and can have a long-lasting impact on your life. They may involve permanent nerve damage, ligament ruptures requiring surgery, or chronic pain syndromes that significantly restrict your daily activities. In these cases, compensation can be much higher, potentially exceeding £100,000, to reflect the long-term consequences of the injury on your physical and mental well-being. Loss of earning capacity due to permanent disability might also be a significant factor influencing the payout.

The whiplash reform programme – for claims valued at less than £5,000

The whiplash reform programme refers to government changes made in May 2021, which impact whiplash claims from road traffic accidents. For less severe cases, you can make claims through this system without legal support, up to the value of £5,000.

This may be a simpler option for you if your injuries don’t have any long-term impact on your life. However, our no win no fee whiplash solicitors can also help you claim compensation for special damages, such as costs incurred. We’ll talk you through your options when you call us.

Soft tissue injuries and accidents we can help with

Our local personal injury solicitors can help you make a soft tissue claim if you’ve been injured and it wasn’t your fault. You may have suffered an injury at work or in public. We’ll help you find out who is responsible and seek the compensation you deserve. Examples of injuries include:

Workplace injuries

Accidents at work may include slips, trips and falls or tripping over obstacles. Falls may lead to bruising or ligament sprains.

Other workplace injuries may lead to repetitive strain, such as manual handling. Examples include lower back strains, tendonitis or bursitis. We may be able to help you prove that you’ve not been trained properly or given adequate safety equipment.

Accidents in public

Accidents in public could include road traffic accidents or sporting injuries. Your injury could also be caused by a fall in public, for example, if obstacles were left out near a building site.

Soft tissue damage from accidents in public ranges from minor muscle cramps and spasms to severe ligament strains. Again, repetitive strain could lead to tendonitis, particularly in sporting cases such as tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis). We’ll assess your medical evidence to see if you have a valid claim.

Making a no win no fee soft tissue injury claim

Our soft tissue compensation claims work on a no win, no fee basis, also known as a Conditional Fee Agreement. This means we take out insurance on your behalf once you start a claim with us, so you won’t have to pay any money up front.

Your claims are paid for out of the relevant organisation’s (e.g., your employer’s) insurance. If your case is successful, we will deduct 25% of the total amount. If it is not, you won’t pay a penny.

Find out more about funding your soft tissue injury compensation claim >

What happens when you contact us

You can start your soft tissue injury claim with us in just four steps:

1. Get in touch. After you’ve seen a medical professional, contact us to start your claims process. We’ll listen to your story and let you know if you’re eligible.
2. Gather evidence. The more evidence you have, the more likely your claim is to win. We can help you gather things like medical reports, CCTV footage and witness statements.
3. Letter of claim. Once we have your evidence, we’ll assess your case and send a ‘letter of claim’ to the relevant insurer, for example, your employer’s liability insurer.
4. Processing your claim. If the insurer accepts responsibility, you’ll receive your compensation minus our fees. If not, we may be able to take it further.

It’s very unlikely you’ll need to go to court for your claim. This process may take several months, but our Manchester solicitors will guide you every step of the way and keep you informed.

Questions about soft tissue injury claims

Find out more about soft tissue injury claim values, time limits and the compensation process.

What are the time limits for a soft tissue damage claim?

Under the UK’s Limitation Act 1980, the time limits for soft tissue damage claims are three years from the date of the accident. There are some exceptions to this, for example, if the person claiming was under 18 at the time, then they will have until their 21st birthday to claim.

How long does it take to get soft tissue injury compensation?

Soft tissue injury claims can take anywhere from six months to two years to settle. This depends on how straightforward your case is. For less serious injuries, where evidence is clear (such as CCTV footage of an unsafe workplace), the claim may settle faster.

More serious injuries or ones that are contested (the insurer denies responsibility) may take longer. We will keep you informed throughout and may be able to arrange interim payments. These are smaller sums taken from your total compensation amount to pay for things like ongoing medical bills.

What evidence do I need to support my claim?

The evidence you need to support your claim will depend on your circumstances. Generally, you should take photos or use CCTV footage where possible. You can also use supporting documents like accident logs at work or evidence of time off. 

Try to gather witness statements and ask your doctor for any written correspondence. We can help you source the best evidence to support your claim.

Discuss your soft tissue injury with Beacon Law

For SRA-regulated legal advice from local personal injury solicitors across Cheadle and Manchester, get in touch. We’ll listen to you and assess your options to see if you can claim the compensation you’re owed.

Simply call us on 0161 706 2373 or request a callback through our website today.