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Making a Whiplash Compensation Claim
Whiplash is the term given to a soft tissue injury of the neck, usually caused in a car accident when the vehicle is struck from behind. The impact typically jolts the neck forward (hyper flexion) or backwards (hyperextension), causing sudden stress to the neck muscles. The pain from a whiplash injury can vary in intensity and usually lasts for just a few hours to a few days. Occasionally, however, the pain from such an injury may last several years.
How does a whiplash injury occur? When the vehicle you are in is hit from behind, your body is pushed forward and upward by the car seat. Because most drivers do not lean their heads against the seat's headrest as they drive, their neck remains stationary relative to the motion of the car while the rest of their body is jolted forward. When the car comes to a stop, the body is thrown forward and then abruptly halted by the action of the seatbelt. The head, however, is not similarly restrained and it continues its forward motion, overstretching the neck muscles.
Whiplash injuries are just as likely to occur from a low speed accident as they are from a high speed accident. In fact, many of the more serious whiplash injuries are caused in this fashion.
It is important to note that the pain from a whiplash injury may not become noticeable until several hours or even a few days after an accident. Symptoms of a whiplash injury include pain in the neck and shoulders, headaches, and dizziness or nausea. More severe cases can cause additional psychological complications such as depression, memory loss and concentration problems. Diagnosing a whiplash injury is a relatively simple process; a medical examination or an x-ray will establish the extent of the injury and determine if any of the neck vertebrae have been fractured.
Due to the unpredictable nature of a whiplash injury, it is important to seek a medical exam and/or treatment as soon as possible after the accident and then to get trained legal advice on whether or not you are eligible to make a claim for whiplash compensation. Your personal injury solicitor can help you seek a medical exam by an independent third party if you are unable to do so on your own. This will be important with respect to your claim as the results will be used to help determine not only the extent of the injury by the probable time period and inconvenience you'll undergo during the recovery period./P>
Another reason for engaging a personal injury solicitor with experience in dealing with whiplash compensation claims is that many insurance companies will try to make a quick offer of compensation in order to close out the claim without incurring significant financial losses. A trained solicitor can help you evaluate the offer being made and determine if it is actually appropriate for the injury and suffering you have undergone.
How does a whiplash injury occur? When the vehicle you are in is hit from behind, your body is pushed forward and upward by the car seat. Because most drivers do not lean their heads against the seat's headrest as they drive, their neck remains stationary relative to the motion of the car while the rest of their body is jolted forward. When the car comes to a stop, the body is thrown forward and then abruptly halted by the action of the seatbelt. The head, however, is not similarly restrained and it continues its forward motion, overstretching the neck muscles.
Whiplash injuries are just as likely to occur from a low speed accident as they are from a high speed accident. In fact, many of the more serious whiplash injuries are caused in this fashion.
It is important to note that the pain from a whiplash injury may not become noticeable until several hours or even a few days after an accident. Symptoms of a whiplash injury include pain in the neck and shoulders, headaches, and dizziness or nausea. More severe cases can cause additional psychological complications such as depression, memory loss and concentration problems. Diagnosing a whiplash injury is a relatively simple process; a medical examination or an x-ray will establish the extent of the injury and determine if any of the neck vertebrae have been fractured.
Due to the unpredictable nature of a whiplash injury, it is important to seek a medical exam and/or treatment as soon as possible after the accident and then to get trained legal advice on whether or not you are eligible to make a claim for whiplash compensation. Your personal injury solicitor can help you seek a medical exam by an independent third party if you are unable to do so on your own. This will be important with respect to your claim as the results will be used to help determine not only the extent of the injury by the probable time period and inconvenience you'll undergo during the recovery period./P>
Another reason for engaging a personal injury solicitor with experience in dealing with whiplash compensation claims is that many insurance companies will try to make a quick offer of compensation in order to close out the claim without incurring significant financial losses. A trained solicitor can help you evaluate the offer being made and determine if it is actually appropriate for the injury and suffering you have undergone.
