Whiplash injuries often appear in car accidents and personal injury claims. We are basically talking about several possible neck injuries, usually something that affects the area’s soft tissue. They are particularly common during rear-end vehicle collisions.
As the car is hit from the back, the driver and the passenger are propelled forward. The head stays in place while the body is the one moving. This puts tremendous flexion and extension on the neck in a motion similar to that of using a whip, which is why the name is in place.
We need to highlight that a serious Giddens Law Firm injury attorney will avoid using this term. This is due to the fact that several exaggerated claims and fake claims were filed with this injury listed. This scared the images of those lawyers who handled the cases, with the media even promoting the idea that legal specialists hand out neck braces before going to court. As a result, using more scientific/medical names is a very good idea in personal injury cases.
Causes
Neck injuries and whiplash appear often in vehicle collisions but other incidents can also lead to this. For instance, whiplash is common in:
- Other truck and car accidents without a rear-end element.
- Intentional assaults leading to head trauma.
- Contact sports injuries.
- Repetitive stress injuries.
- Slip and fall incidents.
- Child abuse.
- Skiing accidents.
One of the biggest misconceptions people have is that you can only end up with a whiplash injury if the accident happened at high speed. This is incorrect. It is actually very common to see the injury appear in collisions happening at low speed. Causes are very complex and can be connected with several factors. For instance, the position of the person inside the car, their height, and seating position will all impact the possibility of being injured.
An even worse misconception you should never believe is that whiplash only involves soft tissue damage so it is very minor. In reality, it is a very serious injury that can lead to really long disruptions for the life of those affected. It is vital that you are checked by a doctor as soon as possible after any car accident exactly because of this problem. You never know if you are seriously injured so you have to get checked out.
Symptoms
Whiplash symptoms can come after the accident and unfortunately, this can be true even days after the collision. When you see symptoms like the following, you have to go to the doctor as you might be affected by whiplash:
- Headache
- Lower range of motion than usual
- Neck stiffness
- Neck pain
- Dizziness
- Back, arm, or shoulder pain
- Blurred vision
- Sleep disturbances
- Unusual sensations in the body
What To Do After
The important thing with whiplash injury is to get the treatment that you need. So, always go to the doctor. If you were injured by someone else, it is also possible you might have a case for an injury claim. Discuss this with an experienced personal injury attorney and make sure you have medical records with you during the consultation.
