Whiplash is one of the most common injuries associated with car accidents because this painful, debilitating neck injury can occur even in low-speed accidents with relatively minor damage to a car. The crash force of a collision propels the driver forward at the speed the car was traveling before the seatbelt snaps them back against the seat. According to crash force calculations, a 130-pound person becomes a 4,550-pound force in a car accident at only 35 miles per hour, placing the body’s structural support system—the spinal column—through substantial trauma.
What Is a Whiplash Injury?
Whiplash occurs when the powerful back-and-forth motion of the head in a collision causes the neck to overextend, damaging the internal structures supporting the cervical spine. Whiplash injuries range from mild to severe. A significant percentage of whiplash suffers have long-term impacts from whiplash-associated disorders. One 20-year study of whiplash patients found that some whiplash injury victims still suffered from shoulder pain (72%), headache (24%), and arm pain (13.3%) two decades after the initial injury.
Symptoms of Whiplash Injury
Whiplash isn’t always immediately noticeable after an accident. This is due to a combination of accident-related adrenaline and the fact that the more serious signs of whiplash happen after inflammation from the damaged muscles, tendons, and ligaments begin to interfere with function and cause pain.
Because whiplash symptoms are often delayed, car accident victims may not seek medical treatment for the injury until days after the accident. This delay sometimes causes problems in a car accident claim for whiplash injuries in North Carolina under the state’s contributory negligence insurance system.
Symptoms of whiplash after a car accident include the following:
- Pain and stiffness in the neck, shoulder, upper back, and one or both arms
- Headaches
- Numbness and tingling in the upper extremities
- Dizziness
- Difficulty concentrating
- Changes in mood
- Anxiety
- Difficulty swallowing
- Changes in vision and hearing such as blurred vision and ringing in the ears
When a car accident victim experiences whiplash, it’s temporarily debilitating, making movement and mobility painful. With treatment like steroid injections, anti-inflammatory medications, pain medications, a cervical collar, and physical therapy, most whiplash patients improve over time and resume their normal lives, but other Atlanta car accident victims with painful symptoms for an extended time or have permanent impacts from the injury.
Common Causes of Whiplash Injury Lawsuits
The most common cause of whiplash cases is car accidents, but whiplash can also occur as the result of a fall, contact sports injury, or anything that causes a strong, whip-like back-and-forth motion of the head and neck. Rear-end collisions often impact motorists in the front vehicle by causing whiplash injury since they don’t typically see the accident coming and cannot brace for the collision.
Sadly, many insurance claims for whiplash injuries are disputed or denied by insurance companies due to factors such as an injury victim who delayed treatment, or because the insurance company wrongfully determines that the injury victim couldn’t have suffered a serious injury due to only minor damage to their car. When an insurance company wrongfully denies a claim for compensation for medical expenses and lost wages due to whiplash, the claimant may file a lawsuit against them in court to recover damages like medical expenses, lost wages, and compensation for pain and suffering.
How Can a Whiplash Injury Attorney in North Carolina Help?
It often takes substantial evidence to prove a whiplash claim for damages after a car accident. Call the experienced car accident lawyers in North Carolina at The Marc Brown Law Firm. We’re ready to investigate your accident to prove liability, review your medical report, and consult with medical experts to make a compelling claim for compensation for your losses.