What Is a Serious Injury? New York Serious Injury Lawyers Explain

What Injuries Are Considered a Serious Injury?

Do you have a serious injury that could be worth hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars to settle your personal injury case?

You may not think an injury from an accident is serious, but it may actually be a serious injury. You may also be surprised to find that injuries other personal injury attorneys in New York don’t think are serious are really serious injuries.

Many other personal injury lawyers in New York don’t think soft tissue injuries are serious injuries. But New York’s serious injury lawyers at 1-800-HURT-911® have settled personal injury cases with “soft tissue injuries” for hundreds of thousands of dollars to millions of dollars.

See some examples of serious injuries below, but even if you don’t see your injury, always call us for a free consultation.

—Don’t assume your injury isn’t serious. Ask New York’s serious injury lawyers at 1-800-HURT-911®. You may actually have a serious injury worth millions. And if you really don’t have a serious injury, we still want to represent you.

—Tip: Don’t wait to call a serious injury lawyer for a free consultation because you can lose valuable rights quickly, and while you may have a minor injury now, it can become a serious injury in 6-12 months after your accident. We can protect your rights and protect your personal injury case immediately, and even get you money right now. If your injury gets worse, you’ll be protected, and your case can be settled faster because we will already have been working on it.

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See how Nyda got her dream house! What will you do with your settlement money?

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What is a Soft Tissue Injury?

Soft tissues connect and support other tissues and bones in the body. A soft tissue injury encompasses a broad range of injuries to one or more soft tissues of your body.

A soft tissue injury can be as insignificant as a bruise that is discolored and goes away in a few days or a far more serious injury worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in settlement of a personal injury case.

Although there are other types of soft tissues, soft tissues that are commonly injured include the following:

  • Muscles
  • Nerves
  • Tendons
  • Ligaments
  • Cartilage

Is a Soft Tissue Injury a Serious Injury?

A torn ligament, tendon, or nerve damage is a soft tissue injury that is a serious injury that can be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Knee and shoulder injuries usually involve a tear of a ligament or tendon. See below how New York’s serious injury lawyers at 1-800-HURT-911® got $465,000 for a client with a soft tissue injury meniscus tear in his knee.

Neck and back injuries usually involve a bulging or herniated disk which can also be a very serious injury. See below how New York’s serious injury lawyers at 1-800-HURT-911® settled soft tissue neck and back injury cases for a lot of money.

Any injury involving a fracture or broken bone is not a soft tissue injury and is automatically considered a serious injury. Find out why people are often told they don’t have a fracture when they do.

The most difficult personal injury cases with soft tissue injuries are car accidents.

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When is a Soft Tissue Injury Not a Serious Injury?

Sprains that resolve quickly are usually not serious injuries. However, sometimes a sprain may be accompanied by other serious injuries.

When a shoulder, knee, or back involves a sprain injury that resolves in a few weeks, it is not a serious injury. However, when it continues to cause pain for a long time, it may later become a serious injury.

In some personal injury cases, you may still be able to be compensated for a sprain that is not serious.

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Is a Pre Existing Soft Tissue Injury a Serious Injury?

Even a pre-existing soft tissue injury can be serious and worth a lot of money.

See Nyda’s video below and how she moved from the Bronx to a new house on the Hudson River when she aggravated her pre-existing lower back pain.

What is the Definition of a Pre-Existing Injury?

A pre-existing injury is an old injury, one that existed before your current accident and personal injury case (either from a previous accident or something else).

The term pre-existing injury is used by insurance companies that use the phrase to argue that your current injury isn’t worth much because it was a pre-existing injury.

Does a Pre-Existing Injury Reduce Settlement Value?

A pre-existing injury should not reduce the settlement value of your personal injury case. A pre-existing injury could even increase the settlement value of your personal injury case.

Insurance companies always try to defend cases by claiming your current injury was a pre-existing injury. This argument works well with unsuspecting personal injury attorneys. Your personal injury lawyer needs to know how to combat this defense.

How Can a Pre-Existing Injury Increase Settlement Value?

  • Your pre-existing injury may have resolved before your current injury.
  • A comparison of the MRIs or X-rays from your pre-existing injury and your current injury may show how your current injury became worse.
  • A pre-existing injury that is reinjured can actually be worse than if it wasn’t previously existing and can be worth more money.

Pre Existing Soft Tissue Personal Injury Settlements

We obtained personal injury settlements for pre-existing soft tissue injuries for hundreds of thousands of dollars and more in many cases.

Pre Existing Neck Injury Settlement

We obtained a $1 million settlement for a woman in her 50s who aggravated a previously existing neck injury when she was knocked to the floor when she was hit by a forklift.

Pre Existing Back Injury Settlement

We obtained a $750,000 settlement for Nyda, who aggravated a previously existing soft tissue lower back injury when she was injured in a car accident.

Nyda was seeing her orthopedic surgeon for years because of her previous existing lower back pain when she had a car accident that aggravated her pre-existing lower back pain. She last saw her orthopedic surgeon two months before her car accident.

After her car accident, she went to a personal injury lawyer in the Bronx, but he wasn’t interested in her case because of her ongoing prior medical treatment and because she only had a soft tissue injury in the car accident.

Then she called the New York Serious Injury Lawyers at 1-800-HURT-911®. Watch how she moved from the Bronx to a new house on the Hudson River.

Even if You Don’t Have Surgery or a Broken Bone, You May Have a Serious Injury and a Valuable Personal Injury Case!

Some personal injury law firms don’t want your case if you don’t have surgery or a broken bone. It was claimed in a lawsuit that the personal injury law firm Steinger, Iscoe & Greene had a “no surgery, no case” policy; That is not the kind of law firm you want for your personal injury case.

But you don’t need surgery or a broken bone for us to take your case. As you can see from Nyda’s video, we may still be able to get you hundreds of thousands of dollars. Do what Nyda did. Call the New York Serious Injury Lawyers at 1-800-HURT-911®.

How Much Is a Serious Injury Worth?

A serious injury can be worth as much as tens of millions of dollars to as little as tens of thousands of dollars. For example, we got $465,000 for a client with a torn meniscus in his knee, which is a soft tissue injury, after GEICO originally offered $10,000 to settle the case.

See the value of some of our other cases with serious injuries and how much serious injury cases settled for.

So do you have a serious injury? Just call the New York Serious Injury Lawyers to find out for free. If another law firm declined to represent you, call us!

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Serious Injuries You May Not Think Are Serious But Are Serious

Any broken bone is a serious injury, but this fracture is a very serious injury
NY Serious Injury Lawyers made this 3-D color x-ray image showing a very serious injury wrist fracture with plate and screws installed during surgery

Injuries Which May Be Serious

(When surgery is required, these injuries are definitely serious and can be worth more than $1 million)

Catastrophic Injuries

The New York Serious Injury Lawyers at 1-800-HURT-911® will help you get substantial compensation for your injuries, including past and future pain and suffering, lost wages, and other damages.

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While you’re getting medical treatment, the video below may help you with your recovery.

The Secret To How Positive Thinking Can Help You Recover From Injuries

How I went from injury to world records | Jamie Barrow | TEDxVienna

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Phil Franckel is a well-known personal injury lawyer in New York since 1989. He is a Founding Partner of 1-800-HURT-911, LLP®, the Personal Injury Dream Team™, and a former Member of the Board of Directors of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association. He has an Avvo Top 10  Rating, Avvo Client’s Choice Award with all 5-star reviews, Avvo Top Contributor Award, Multi-Million Dollar Trial Lawyers Award, and others. See Mr. Franckel’s bio for areas of expertise.

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Watch Founding Partner Phil Franckel, Esq. talk about New York Serious Injury Attorneys.com, difficult cases, and the 1-800-HURT-911® Dream Team™


Philip L. Franckel, Esq. is one of the HURT911® Dream Team™ Founding Partners at 1-800-HURT-911® New York; He has a 10 Avvo rating; Avvo Client’s Choice with all 5-star reviews; Avvo Top Contributor; and a former Member of the Board of Directors of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association.

1-800-HURT-911® Founding Partner and Personal Injury Lawyer Rob Plevy, Esq.

Founding Partner Rob Plevy, Esq.

Robert Plevy, Esq. is one of the HURT911® Dream Team™ Founding Partners at 1-800-HURT-911® New York. Rob began his legal career in 1993 as an Assistant Corporation Counsel defending The City of New York against personal injury lawsuits.

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