If you are experiencing neck pain after a car accident, could this be a symptom of whiplash? If so, when you file an insurance claim, can you seek financial compensation for your medical bills, pain and other losses?
Largely due to misrepresentations in popular culture, whiplash is a traumatic injury that is widely misunderstood. Despite movie portrayals of accident “victims” wearing neck braces in court in order to defraud the insurance companies out of millions of dollars, the reality is that whiplash is a potentially-serious injury that can have painful, debilitating and long-term consequences.
What is Whiplash?
Whiplash is a neck injury that occurs when the neck bends forcefully in one direction and then quickly snaps back in the other before returning to its normal vertical position. In the context of car accidents, whiplash is most likely to occur in head-on and rear-end collision, although the forces involved in just about any accident are enough to cause trauma to the neck and spine.
While whiplash is often referred to as a discrete type of injury, whiplash can actually involve damage to each of the muscles, discs, nerves, and tendons in the neck. As a result, diagnosing whiplash can be a challenge, and prescribing an effective treatment plan will often require multiple tests and scans – including physical examinations, x-rays, CT scans and MRIs.
What are the Treatment Options for Whiplash?
Treatment options for whiplash vary from ice and rest to physical therapy and administration of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Once diagnosed with whiplash, an individual will need to follow a treatment plan that is specifically tailored to the nature and extent of his or her neck injuries. While most people will fully recover from whiplash, recovery times can vary from days to months depending upon the severity of his or her condition.
In many cases, individuals who are experiencing symptoms of whiplash will have experienced other neck, head and back injuries as well. For example, concussions, herniated discs and spinal fractures are all common traumatic accident-related injuries. In order to ensure as complete of a recovery as possible, accident victims should discuss their symptoms and the cause of their injuries in detail with their doctors.
Can You Seek Financial Compensation for Whiplash?
Like all accident-related injuries, financial compensation is available for whiplash in cases where the victim’s medical condition is the result of someone else’s negligence. This includes injuries from auto accidents caused by distracted driving, drunk driving, speeding, following too closely and other driving mistakes. In order to recover maximum compensation for their injury-related losses, individuals who are experiencing symptoms of whiplash following a collision should seek medical and legal help as soon as possible.
Discuss Your Case With an Experienced Personal Injury Attorney
For more information about seeking financial compensation after an auto accident, contact our Denver, CO law offices to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation with one of our experienced attorneys. To find out what your case is worth, call us 24/7 at 303-333-8000 or request an appointment online today.
