Glossary — San Diego Soft Tissue Desk

Every term this desk uses, defined once, plainly. Files link here rather than re-defining mid-sentence.

Term	Definition
211 San Diego	San Diego County's free, 24-hour community information and referral service — dial 2-1-1 or search 211sandiego.org.
Bodily injury liability	The coverage that pays for injuries the policyholder causes to others, up to policy limits (post-SB 1107 minimum: $30,000 per person / $60,000 per accident).
Cervical spine	The neck portion of the spine — seven vertebrae, C1 through C7, carrying the head and the greatest range of motion in the column.
CT scan	An imaging study that combines X-rays with computer processing into cross-sectional images — used where detail beyond plain X-ray is needed.
Delayed onset	The pattern by which soft-tissue pain and stiffness peak 24 to 72 hours after an injury rather than immediately.
First-party claim	A claim on your own policy: collision coverage, medical payments, or UM/UIM.
Grade (sprain or strain)	Severity scale: grade 1 is a mild stretch, grade 2 a partial tear, grade 3 a complete tear — the spread across grades drives the recovery range.
Imaging studies	The main studies after a crash: X-ray (the most common and widely available, showing bone well and usually first), CT scan (X-rays with computer processing into cross-sectional images, used where detail beyond plain X-ray is needed), and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging — images soft tissue in high resolution without radiation).
Ligament	The connective tissue joining bone to bone; a sprain is a stretch or tear of a ligament.
Lordosis	The inward curve of the cervical and lumbar spine — the cervical lordosis is the neck's natural forward bend, loaded hardest in the acceleration-lag-rebound sequence of a rear-end impact.
Lumbar spine	The low back — five vertebrae, L1 through L5, braced and loaded in a collision.
The merge (I-5/I-805)	The San Diego corridor junction where I-805 traffic joins I-5 — shorthand in this desk for the merge-queue collision pattern.
Property damage liability	The coverage that pays for damage the policyholder causes to others' property (post-SB 1107 minimum: $15,000).
QTF	The Quebec Task Force on Whiplash-Associated Disorders — the 1995 group whose WAD grades 0–IV remain the standard classification.
SB 1107	The Protect California Drivers Act — raised California's minimum auto liability limits to 30/60/15 for policies issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2025.
Soft-tissue injury	Injury to muscle, tendon, or ligament — the most common injury pattern in collisions, distinct from fractures.
Sprain	A stretch or tear of a ligament — the tissue connecting bone to bone.
SR-1	California's written traffic accident report to the DMV, due within 10 days for collisions involving injury, death, or qualifying property damage (Vehicle Code §20008).
Statute of limitations	The filing deadline for a lawsuit: two years for California personal injury (Code of Civil Procedure §335.1).
Strain	An injury to a muscle or tendon — the tissue connecting muscle to bone.
Tendon	The cord of connective tissue attaching muscle to bone; a strain is a stretch or tear of a muscle or tendon.
Third-party claim	A claim against the at-fault driver's liability policy — paid only after fault and damages are established.
Trapezius	The large neck-to-shoulder muscle that commonly seizes and spasms after a collision's whiplash motion.
UM/UIM	Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage on your own policy — required unless waived in writing (Insurance Code §11580.2).
WAD	Whiplash-associated disorder — the Quebec Task Force's grades 0 through IV, set by clinical findings.