Unseen Injuries

Ahead of Invisible Disabilities Week, which is Oct 20-26, we’re raising awareness about unseen injuries and the importance of supporting those affected. Thomson Rogers’ Partner Matt Sutton shares what they are.

A lot of times in motor vehicle accidents, especially when you’re injured, you have an unseen injury. Those types of things are invisible to the eye. I think of them like a force field. You can’t see it. But if you push up against someone’s life and they’re suffering from those injuries, you will feel it.

What are examples of unseen injuries?

That can be a number of different things. One is a brain injury that isn’t coming up on an X-ray or an MRI or CT scan. Soft tissue injuries are another invisible injury that is physically related but doesn’t show up on diagnostic imaging. Another one is mental or behavioural disorders, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, cognitive issues, and problems with memory.

What are the challenges with an unseen injury?

The only real evidence you have in support of that is your own word. “I have pain” and a lack of education from the insurance company or the defence counsel.

How do personal injury lawyers tackle unseen injuries?

We emphasize functional changes in your life. So, for example, if you used to be able to play a sport and you can’t anymore or drive and you can’t drive anymore, or work because of these unseen injuries, we can then point to those changes in your life from before the accident. Another thing we can do is have experts who specifically deal with these types of issues.

Conclusion

If you suffer from any type of invisible injury where you feel that you are not being taken seriously, please do not hesitate to contact me or our law firm for a free consultation, and we will ensure that you’re taken care of.

Matthew Sutton is a Personal Injury Lawyer and Partner at Thomson Rogers LLP. Matthew can be reached at 416-868-3187 or by email.