What to Do if You Suffer a Whiplash Personal Injury
If you’ve ever been in a car accident, you know that even the slightest impact can leave your neck and back feeling sore and stiff for days. While many people ignore these symptoms and assume they’ll fade away, they can actually be an indicator of a serious injury and cause for a personal injury lawsuit – whiplash.
What is whiplash?
Whiplash is the informal term for damage to the soft tissues of the neck, including muscles, tendons and ligaments. It’s caused by an abrupt back-and-forth flexion of the neck, which is common in rear-end auto collisions. Other incidents that may cause a whiplash injury include:
Car accidents that don’t involve rear-end impact
Contact sports injuries, including football and hockey
Intentional assaults, such as a hard shove from behind
Skiing and snowboarding accidents
Slip and fall accidents
How do I know if I have whiplash?
Often, the symptoms of a whiplash personal injury don’t appear until days after a collision. If you have been in a car accident, remain alert for the following symptoms of whiplash:
Neck pain and stiffness
Blurred vision
Decreased range of motion
Headache
Dizziness
Burning or tingling in the arms
Sleep disturbance and fatigue
Difficulty concentrating
Shoulder, arm, or back pain
Other cognitive or psychological difficulties
What to do if you suspect a whiplash personal injury
If you experience even the slightest pain or discomfort following an auto accident, seek medical treatment immediately. When presented with the details of the accident, your treating physician will know to look for signs of whiplash that may have otherwise gone unnoticed. From your very first exam, be sure to document all of your doctor appointments and expenses related to your injury. These include lost wages while you’re unable to work, medical bills, prescription costs and insurance co-pays – all of which will be important should you decide to pursue a lawsuit. Then, contact a personal injury attorney who can advise you on your rights. If you decide to proceed with legal representation, your lawyer will inform the offending driver’s insurance company of your intent to file a lawsuit and begin building a case in your defense.
We’re here to help
According to the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, 15 to 40 percent of those injured in car accidents will struggle with chronic pain the rest of their lives. If you’ve suffered whiplash from an auto collision that wasn’t your fault, you may be eligible to file a whiplash personal injury claim to collect damages for medical bills, lost income, and pain and suffering.
Preparing a whiplash personal injury case isn’t something you’ll want to do alone. Insurance companies are ruthless, and they’ll do everything they can to downplay your injury and avoid paying the monetary damages you need for medical, financial and emotional care. At Salmu Law Firm in San Diego, our experienced car accident lawyers pursue full compensation through negotiation or litigation, aggressively fighting on our clients’ behalf throughout the entire claims process. Give us a call today to find out what we can do for you.