Whiplash Injuries: Causes, Symptoms, and Seeking Compensation

Whiplash is one of the most common injuries that you can suffer after a car accident. Usually, you would experience whiplash in a rear-end car accident. Your slower-moving car was struck from behind by another vehicle whose driver did not see you stopped or could not avoid the accident in time. Even though whiplash is a common car accident injury, it is by no means a minor one. A significant proportion of people who suffer from whiplash will be dealing with the symptoms for a long time to come. If you have experienced whiplash in a car accident, you may be entitled to substantial financial compensation.

Causes of Whiplash Injuries

Whiplash occurs when your head and neck violently and suddenly snap forward while the rest of your body remains still. That extremely quick motion can have some of the following impacts:

• Straining and stretching the tendons in your neck.
• Overextending the spinal cord.
• Forcing your lower back outside of its normal range of movement.
• Causing your brain to slam into the base of your skull.

Symptoms of Whiplash

You may experience several symptoms of a whiplash injury, including:

• Neck pain
• Lower back pain
• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Reduced range of motion in your neck

Treatment for Whiplash Injuries

Accordingly, several injuries can fall under the broad umbrella of whiplash. You can suffer anything from a debilitating back injury to a traumatic brain injury, which can change the course of your life. Whiplash can require significant medical intervention, depending on how badly you have been hurt. You may require the following treatments:

• Surgery
• Physical therapy
• Occupational therapy
• Prescriptive pain medication
• Extensive rest

It is vital that you get medical treatment as soon as you begin to experience symptoms of whiplash. You may not feel symptoms until days or weeks after the accident. However, if you wait too long to get medical help, the insurance company may claim that your medical condition is unrelated to the car accident. Further, prompt medical treatment could increase the chances that you can make a full recovery from your whiplash injuries.

Obtaining Compensation for a Whiplash Injury

Roughly 40 percent of people who suffer whiplash will be dealing with the symptoms for a prolonged amount of time. Approximately one in every 10 whiplash injury victims may become permanently disabled due to their injuries. Thus, your claim could be worth far more money than you think.

The first part of a whiplash injury claim is proving that someone else was to blame for your injuries. If your injuries occurred in a rear-end car accident, there is a presumption that the trailing car driver is to blame. Generally, you need evidence proving that someone else was negligent before you can even begin to discuss actual compensation.

Because whiplash is so common, the insurance company will also go out of its way to minimize the scope and extent of your injuries in settlement negotiations.  They see many whiplash claims. One of the major challenges that you face is persuading the insurance company that you have been seriously injured. In many cases, Whiplash depends on your subjective reports of your symptoms. Unless the insurance company can see objective test results in black and white on paper in front of them, they may not accept your accounts of your injury.

You may have to negotiate your settlement with the insurance company. It is not uncommon for insurance companies to drastically raise the initial settlement offer they have made you, especially when under pressure from an experienced car accident lawyer.

Contact Our New Jersey Whiplash Injury Lawyers at Kitrick, McWeeney & Wells, LLC Today

Our New Jersey whiplash injury lawyers at Kitrick, McWeeney & Wells, LLC can help if you have whiplash from a crash. Call 732-920-8383 or contact us online for a free consultation. We have offices in Manasquan and Brick, New Jersey, and we serve clients in Middlesex County, Atlantic County, Mercer County, Monmouth County, and Ocean County.