sharp-fox-4435/12/2026

11 months out from my crash and the pain just won't quit — anyone else stuck like this?

I honestly don't know why I'm typing this at 1am but here we are. I just needed somewhere to put this because I feel like I'm going crazy.

Almost a year ago I was sitting in traffic on the highway — completely stopped — when someone plowed into the back of me at what had to be highway speed. The person behind me said the driver never even slowed down. My car got pushed into the one in front of me. Three cars total. Mine was the sandwich. Both other cars drove away from the scene eventually; mine went straight to the tow yard.

Right after the crash I felt weirdly okay, maybe just shaken up. But by that evening my right shoulder was screaming. The ER said soft tissue, sent me home with some ibuprofen and a pamphlet. Cool, thanks.

Fast forward almost a year and I've done physical therapy (twice), got an MRI that showed a partial rotator cuff tear, had a cortisone injection that helped for maybe six weeks, and I'm now being referred to a surgeon for a possible second opinion. I can't sleep on my right side. I can't reach up to a cabinet without wincing. My job involves a lot of keyboard work and by 2pm every day I'm just done.

The other driver's insurance accepted liability pretty quickly which honestly made me think this would be straightforward. Ha. Their adjuster keeps calling asking when I'm going to be at "maximum medical improvement" and honestly I don't even know what that means for me yet because I'm still actively treating.

Has anyone been through something similar — partial tear, ongoing treatment, surgery being discussed — and navigated the insurance/legal side of it while still healing? I feel like I'm supposed to have answers I don't have yet.

9 replies

Most helpful first

clear-lynx-2425/12/2026
Oh wow, this hit close to home. I had a partial tear from my accident too and the recovery timeline is SO much longer than anyone tells you upfront. I kept feeling like I was failing at healing somehow. You're not. These injuries just take forever and the insurance timeline does not match the human body timeline at all.
- steady-sparrow-2815/12/2026
  Partial rotator cuff tears are genuinely tricky. Some people do well with conservative treatment, some end up needing surgery, and you often don't know which category you're in until you've exhausted the non-surgical options. The fact that you're still in active treatment means your injury picture isn't complete yet. Please don't let anyone — insurance or otherwise — pressure you into decisions before your doctors have a clear plan.
quick-hare-7895/12/2026
That adjuster calling to ask about your MMI status is not a casual check-in — they're building a file. Every time you answer those calls you're giving them information they will use to lowball or close your claim. You are under zero obligation to chat with them regularly while you're still in treatment. Be really careful.
- gentle-kestrel-6735/12/2026
  "Maximum medical improvement" just means the point where your condition has stabilized — you're either fully recovered or at a plateau where you won't improve much more. It's a legal and insurance benchmark, not really a medical one. The key thing is: you should not be settling anything until you've actually reached MMI and your doctors can clearly say what your ongoing limitations or future treatment needs might be. Especially with a potential surgery still on the table.
steady-stoat-6965/12/2026
I used to be on that side of the phone. When an adjuster starts asking about MMI early and often, it usually means they're trying to get you to settle before the full picture of your injury is clear — especially if surgery might be on the table. Once you settle, that's it. There's no going back if you end up needing the procedure. I'd stop engaging with them directly until you know what your treatment path actually looks like.
genuine-wren-4325/12/2026
Not legal advice, but I'll say this generally: a claim involving a documented structural injury like a partial tear, possible surgery, and ongoing lost function is not the kind of thing you want to navigate solo against an insurance company. At minimum, a free consult with a PI attorney would help you understand what your claim might actually be worth and what you should be protecting right now. Most won't charge anything unless they recover for you.
careful-grouse-9855/12/2026
The 1am posting resonates with me — that's when the worry brain takes over. You've been dealing with this for almost a year and you're still not better and facing possible surgery. That's genuinely a lot. I'm sorry. Please don't try to figure out the legal/insurance stuff alone while you're also just trying to physically survive this.
- silent-tern-2115/12/2026
  Stop answering the adjuster's calls without representation. Seriously. Get a PI lawyer consult before you say one more word to them. That's the whole advice.
brave-grouse-5695/12/2026
For what it's worth — the fact that liability was accepted early is actually meaningful. A lot of people on here are fighting just to get the other side to admit fault. You're not starting from zero. The injury complexity is real and hard, but your legal position isn't hopeless. Hang in there.