Imagine you are sitting at a stoplight, waiting for the switch from red to green, when suddenly someone rams into your car from behind. The rear-end hit causes you to jolt forward rapidly; this could give you whiplash. While you may feel as though you’ve recovered your senses and go about exchanging insurance information with the other driver, a whiplash injury could be more serious than you suspect.
What Is Whiplash
Whiplash is type of injury affecting the neck. Although car accidents aren’t the only way to sustain whiplash, they are among the most common reasons for the injury. Whiplash is caused by sudden, forceful back-and-forth movement of the neck, much like the cracking of a whip. It can be difficult to diagnose whiplash injuries because they deal with a largely unpredictable combination of trauma to the nervous system, muscle joints, and connective tissue.
While neck pain might ensue immediately, it is quite common for signs and symptoms to develop within 24 hours of the injury. Symptoms primarily involve neck pain and stiffness, a loss of range of motion in the neck, as well as pain in the shoulder, upper back or arms. In addition, whiplash injuries can also lead to headache, fatigue, dizziness, blurred vision, sleep problems, tinnitus, memory issues, and other problems.
Car Accidents And Whiplash
A whiplash injury during a car accident occurs in four phases that take place in about half a second. Whiplash injuries are most commonly associated with rear-end car accidents, though any accident causing sudden jarring of the neck could end with whiplash. If you start to have any symptoms of whiplash after a car accident, it is best to seek medical attention so the injury can be properly diagnosed and treated. Early medical documentation will also help if you need to seek compensation for medical expenses from an insurance company.
Treatment For Whiplash
Typically a person can recover from a whiplash injury after a few months. However, in some severe cases, a person may suffer from a whiplash injury for several months or even years. Anyone with a whiplash injury should seek medical attention so a qualified healthcare professional can prescribe the appropriate treatment. Recovery for minor whiplash may only require rest and over-the-counter painkillers whereas more serious cases could call for specialized pain treatment or physical therapy.
Getting Compensation For Whiplash
If you are a Georgia resident dealing with whiplash after a car accident, you could receive compensation for your injuries. Contact the legal team at Williams Elleby Howard & Easter to find out what your options are. With years of experience in Georgia car accident law, we know how to get you the maximum settlement possible for your injuries.
