Whiplash injuries affect the muscles and nerves. In many cases, whiplash injuries affect the neck and back, leaving people in constant pain and unable to work. Of the many injuries that may occur during a car accident, whiplash injuries are relatively common.
This type of injury is caused by the impact forces from a collision. Rear-end collisions are even more likely to lead to a whiplash injury. During the collision, the body jolts in different directions, tearing the muscles and nerves. Some car accident victims may not notice whiplash injury symptoms until hours or even days have passed. In fact, whiplash injuries are a great example of a “delayed car accident injury.”
What Are Whiplash Injury Symptoms?
When whiplash injury symptoms appear after an accident, you may experience the following issues:
- Neck, shoulder and back pain
- Tingling in the neck, shoulders and back
- Muscle tightness or stiffness in the neck, shoulders and back
- Difficulty moving your neck and shoulders
- An increased number of headaches outside of what is normal
Depending on the severity of your symptoms, it can be difficult to resume normal life activities. You may not be able to return to work after your accident due to severe whiplash injury symptoms. This is especially true if your job involves any type of manual labor, which is common for most jobs.
Even typing can become difficult with a whiplash injury, as pain may shoot down from your shoulders to your arms, making it difficult to keep your arms stationary in front of a keyboard.
Due to the possible life complications you could suffer, you should obtain a diagnosis that shows the severity of your injury. See a doctor as soon as possible after the symptoms appear because you are establishing medical records of your injury by obtaining a diagnosis. This could help later if you decide to pursue a claim or even a lawsuit to recover compensation for your whiplash injury. Compensation can help pay for medical bills, lost income and other expenses.
Obtaining a Whiplash Diagnosis After a Car Accident
You will most likely need to undergo an imaging test to receive a whiplash diagnosis. This could include an MRI, X-ray or CT scan. These imaging tests could show damage to soft tissue and bones. Bone fractures are also a possible outcome caused by a car accident.
In many cases, we find that people avoid seeking medical care after an accident due to the expensive costs involved. You should obtain a diagnosis after your accident because it establishes a record of your injuries, which helps when negotiating a settlement with the other party’s insurance company.
Whiplash injuries are treatable. Your doctor may recommend physical therapy, over-the-counter pain medications or prescription pain medications. Treatment options would depend on the severity of your injuries and other factors.
Seeking Compensation for a Whiplash Injury
Pre-existing conditions, such as degenerative disc disease, can easily complicate a whiplash injury and a personal injury case. For people with such pre-existing conditions, they are far more likely to suffer extensive damages. Insurance companies may also use a prior diagnosis to claim that the plaintiff’s pain is caused by this condition and not the accident to reduce the value of or deny a claim. It may be necessary to pursue a more aggressive strategy for obtaining compensation.
Our Fairfax personal injury lawyers will fight aggressively to obtain the compensation you deserve after an accident. We can negotiate a settlement on your behalf or could take your case to trial if the insurance companies involved refuse to play fair.
You can contact an attorney at Hilton & Somer, LLC for a free consultation by dialing 703-560-0700 or by using our online case review form. During the consultation, we will listen to the specifics of your situation and help you determine if you have legal options to pursue compensation for your injury.
