Last updated: 06th August 2025. Soft tissue injuries can cause pain and frustration as you try to go about your daily activities. You may even find yourself under financial pressure when seeking treatment. However, if you were injured by an incident that was someone else’s fault, you could be entitled to claim compensation.

You can read this guide to find out if you could be eligible to claim. We also provide examples of how soft tissue injuries can occur, as well as different pieces of evidence that could strengthen your case.

Furthermore, we will address the question, ‘What is the average payout for a soft tissue injury?’ and explain what the compensation covers. Finally, you can find out how to proceed with the help of one of our No Win No Fee solicitors.

If you have any queries or would like to discuss the details of your claim for compensation, why not contact an advisor today? They may be able to pass your claim on to one of our experienced personal injury solicitors and bring you one step closer towards getting compensation:

• Call 0800 073 8804.
• Go online to contact us using our web form.
• Open the live chat tab below.

You can get further insight on soft tissue injury claims with our helpful video, which you can see here:

Select A Section

1. 1. Who Could Make Soft Tissue Injury Compensation Claims?
   2. How Could A Soft Tissue Injury Occur?
   3. Do I Need Evidence To Support A Soft Tissue Injury Claim?
   4. Is There A Time Limit To Start Soft Tissue Injury Compensation Claims?
   5. What Is The Average Compensation For A Soft Tissue Injury?
   6. No Win No Fee Soft Tissue Injury Compensation Claims
   7. Useful Links

Who Could Make Soft Tissue Injury Compensation Claims?

You may be wondering what the soft tissue injury compensation claims eligibility criteria is.

The first step is proving that you were owed a duty of care, which is a responsibility for your health and safety owed to you by a third party.

Here are some third parties that owe you a duty of care:

• Under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957, occupiers (those who control a public space) have a duty of care to take practical measures that ensure the reasonable safety of those who visit the area. This could include supermarkets, hotels, and gyms.
• All road users owe a duty of care to one another to travel in ways that avoid injury to each other. To uphold this duty, they are also expected to comply with the Road Traffic Act 1988 and the Highway Code.
• Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, employers owe their staff a duty of care to take reasonable steps to protect their health, safety, and well-being

The second step is proving that this duty of care was breached. We look at how duty of care can potentially be breached in the next section of this guide.

The third step is proving that you sustained a soft tissue injury as a result of this breached duty of care.

In short, here is the criteria to make an eligible soft tissue injury claim:

1. You were owed a duty of care by a third party, such as an occupier, an employer, or a road user.
2. The third party breached their duty of care.
3. You sustained a soft tissue injury as a result of this breached duty of care.

If you can show that you have been through each of the above criteria, then please contact us.

How Could A Soft Tissue Injury Occur?

There are many ways that you could suffer a soft tissue injury from a breached duty of care. For example, these could include:

• At work: Soft tissue damage could occur in the workplace if a walkway is left cluttered and obstructed, causing you to trip over a cable and damage the tissues in your back.
• On the roads: You could suffer soft tissue damage in a car accident if you were involved in a head-on collision due to the other driver driving whilst drunk, which caused your arm or shoulder to wrench backwards.
• In public: A drink spillage on a restaurant terrace was not cleared up promptly despite being reported to staff. A wet floor sign was also not placed warning customers of the hazard. You slipped and fell on the spillage, badly twisting your knee. In a scenario such as this you could be eligible to claim soft tissue knee injury compensation.

To find out if you could claim compensation for soft tissue damage, contact our team of advisors today. They can evaluate your claim for free and could potentially connect you with one of our personal injury solicitors.

Do I Need Evidence To Support A Soft Tissue Injury Claim?

When making a soft tissue injury claim, you’ll need to prove that negligence occurred. To strengthen your claim for a soft tissue injury payout, you should collect evidence that proves who was liable for the accident and the severity of your injuries.

Some examples of the evidence you could collect include:

• The contact details of any persons who can provide witness statements.
• Any CCTV footage of your accident occurring.
• Photographs of the accident scene.
• Medical evidence, such as your medical records, that states the injury you suffered and the treatment you required.

After discussing your claim with one of our advisors, they may connect you with one of our solicitors who could help you gather evidence, provided you have a valid case.

Contact our advisors today for more examples of potential soft tissue injury settlements. Our friendly team is available 24/7 to help you and offer free advice.

Is There A Time Limit To Start Soft Tissue Injury Compensation Claims?

Yes, according to the Limitation Act 1980, there is a 3-year time limit to start soft tissue injury compensation claims. This begins from the date that the injury occurs. However, there are exceptions which affect this 3-year window in certain cases:

• Since a minor cannot make their own soft tissue injury claim, the time limit freezes until their 18th birthday.
• If a person doesn’t possess sufficient mental capacity to make a claim, there will be no time limit unless this capacity returns. In such cases, the 3 years will be counted from the date of recovery.

However, starting the claims process as soon as possible can be beneficial, particularly when it comes to the task of collecting evidence. When time limits are paused, a litigation friend can help claim on another’s behalf. Any adult can take on this role, but the following are the most common candidates:

• Parents or guardians
• Other family members
• Friends
• Solicitors

The court will allow the appointment once it is ascertained that the person can act competently in the best interests of the claimant.

Our advisors can help you in determining what time limit might be applicable to your claim. They can also provide completely free guidance on how to claim on behalf of someone else. Contact us now for assistance.

What Is The Average Compensation For A Soft Tissue Injury?

You might be wondering how much compensation you could receive if your claim succeeds. Since every claim is different, and compensation is awarded depending on the circumstances surrounding each case, any average amount might not be relevant to you.

However, we can provide more information on how compensation is calculated and what it could consist of. Personal injury compensation can consist of 2 parts, the first of which is general damages.

General damages cover the soft tissue damage you endured, as well as any psychological injuries suffered as a result of the accident. When that damage leads to financial loss, special damages may be included in a claim.

The Judicial College Guideline (JCG) can be used to help value general damages, as it provides suggested compensation brackets for a variety of injuries.

Guideline Compensation

Below, you can find some entries taken from the JCG. Please note that the first figure is not from the JCG and that none of these brackets are guaranteed. We have also included figures from the whiplash tariffs, which we’ll explain in further detail later:

• For multiple severe injuries with special damages, such as domestic and child care costs, up to £250,000+ could be awarded. 
• For a severe (iii) neck injury, the bracket is £55,500 to £68,330
• For a moderate (i) neck injury, the bracket is £30,500 to £46,970
• For a severe shoulder injury, the bracket is £23,430 to £58,610
• For a moderate shoulder injury, the bracket is £9,630 to £15,580
• For a moderate (ii) back injury, the bracket is £15,260 to £33,880
• For a minor back injury, the bracket is £9,630 to £15,260
• For whiplash along with minor psychological injury that lasts between 18 and 24 months, £4,345 is awarded.
• For one or more whiplash injuries that last between 18-24 months, £4,215 is awarded.

Could I Also Claim Special Damages?

If you make a successful soft tissue injury claim, you might also receive special damages. This head of claim covers the financial losses caused by your soft tissue injuries. For example, you could recoup any earnings you lost while taking time off work to recover.

Special damages can also help you recoup the cost of:

• Prescriptions.
• Mobility aids.
• Travel expenses.
• Childcare.
• Help with cleaning and cooking.

In order to claim back these costs, you need to keep evidence of your losses. This could include your payslips, receipts and invoices.  A personal injury solicitor can help you gather these if you decide to work with one.

To learn more about how much compensation you could potentially receive for soft tissue injuries, contact our team of advisors today.

What Is The Whiplash Reform Programme?

On May 31st 2021, the way some road traffic accident claims are made in England and Wales, such as those for whiplash, changed with the introduction of the Whiplash Reform Programme. Now, you will make your claim differently if:

• You are a driver or passenger aged 18 or over.
• Your injuries are valued at £5,000 or less.

Compensation for whiplash injuries will be awarded in line with the tariff outlined in the Whiplash Injury Regulations 2021. You can find some examples of these in the table above. However, any non-whiplash injuries will be valued in the traditional way.

If you’ve suffered whiplash in a car accident, contact our team of advisors today. They evaluate soft tissue injury claims for free and can offer more information on the average payout for a soft tissue injury in the UK.

No Win No Fee Soft Tissue Injury Compensation Claims

Now that you’ve learned more about the average payout for a soft tissue injury in the UK, you might be wondering how working with a solicitor could benefit you.

Solicitors can help you through the personal injury claims process by explaining complex legal jargon and procedures, gathering evidence, and helping you negotiate a settlement.

One of our solicitors could help you with your soft tissue injury claim on a No Win No Fee basis through a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). Under a CFA, you won’t be asked to pay any ongoing or upfront fees for your solicitor’s work, nor will you pay them a fee for their services if your claim fails.

However, if your soft tissue injury claim is successful, a success fee will be given to your solicitor. However, this percentage is limited by law. The legal cap helps to ensure that the larger share of what you receive stays with you.

To find out if one of our No Win No Fee solicitors could help you, contact our team of advisors today. When you get in touch, a member of our team can offer a free consultation, during which they can answer any questions you might have about the personal injury claims process.

To get started, you can:

• Call us on 0800 073 8804
• Contact us online.
• Use the live chat feature.

Useful Links

If you’d like to learn more about soft tissue injuries, we have some guides below that you can review:

• Read about finger injury claims.
• Get information on claiming for a foot injury.
• Learn about how to claim for a hand injury.

Thank you for taking the time to read our guide on soft tissue injury compensation claims.