Personal injury lawyers know all about whiplashes. They know when common symptoms and causes of these are in car accidents and other personal injury cases. Your personal injury lawyer in Kitchener will tell you that the term ‘whiplash’ is an umbrella term that describes a wide range of neck injuries. Most of these are injuries to the soft tissues that surround the neck.
Whiplash injuries are very common in rear-end collisions. This is because the driver and passengers’ heads and necks tend to move forward forcefully while the rest of their bodies remain stationary. Your personal injury lawyer will probably not use the term ‘whiplash injury’ in your personal injury claim or case. This is because personal law tends to associate this term with false claims or even exaggerated injury claims or cases.
What causes whiplash injuries?
Your lawyer will tell you that whiplash injuries tend to occur in rear end collisions. However, they can appear in the following instances and car accidents:
● Other types of car accidents
● Contact sports like football and soccer
● Intentional assaults
● Skiing and snowboarding accidents
● Being injured in the same place over and over again
● Shaking a baby and other forms of child abuse
● Slip and fall accidents
Contrary to popular belief, whiplash injuries tend to be caused by low impact collisions where one or more drivers were driving at a low speed. Your chances of sustaining a whiplash in these types of rear end collisions depends on many factors:
● Your gender
● Position of your head at the time of impact
● Seat position
● Head restraints
● Size and weight of the vehicles involved
Also, whiplash injuries tend to be serious even though they only involve soft tissues around the neck area. Many victims feel otherwise and may put off seeking medical attention for this reason. However, they need to seek serious medical attention immediately since untreated or improperly treated whiplash injuries can cause serious health conditions down the road.
Symptoms of whiplash
If you asked your personal injury lawyer what the common whiplash symptoms are, he or she probably told you the following:
• Stiffness and pain in the neck
• Decreased ability to move
• Headache
• Dizziness
• Blurred vision
• Pain in the shoulders, arms, or back
• Strange sensations
• Problems sleeping
• Other difficulties with cognitive or psychological abilities/functions
Remember that whiplash injury symptoms don’t always show up right away. That’s why you should see your doctor immediately after having sustained a whiplash injury in a car accident.
Obtaining help with a whiplash injury
See a doctor right away- Your personal injury lawyer will tell you that this is of prime importance because you could experience serious long-term health problems and/or disabilities if you don’t see a doctor right away. Revisit your doctor if you think you are developing new symptoms from your whiplash injury.
Hire a lawyer- A good personal injury lawyer will help you craft and draft the personal injury claim or case that will win you the settlement you want and need either in or out of court. You should stay prepared because the defense will challenge everything you say. Be sure to include detailed medical records and expenses in your claim or case. Also, document everything you can remember about all details surrounding your car accident.
Whiplash injuries don’t have to ruin your life. You can fight back and win a whiplash case if you hire a good lawyer.