4 Pitfalls When Pursuing An Accident Claim For Whiplash Injuries
There are numerous muscles, discs, nerves, and tendons in the neck, all of which are fundamental to accomplishing the very important goal of supporting your head. When you experience the violent blow of an accident, these tissues may not be enough. Johns Hopkins Medicine defines whiplash as an injury that occurs when the neck is forcibly bent forward and backward because of sudden impact, such as a rear-end car accident or while playing sports.
Whiplash is a painful injury, but it can also cause tingling in extremities, memory problems, fatigue, and blurred vision. However, many accident victims encounter challenges because of the unique nature of the trauma. As a soft tissue injury, there can be issues with proof. An Owings Mills head and neck injury lawyer will develop a strategy to recover the compensation you deserve by law, though you should be aware of some of the pitfalls with whiplash claims.
- Whiplash is an invisible injury. Though it may involve serious trauma, the effects of whiplash are under the skin and not obvious to others. Even X-ray images do not pick up the damage to soft tissues in the neck. Jurors tend to be motivated by visual clues as to the nature of your injuries, so they may assume your injuries are not severe. A useful strategy for overcoming this hurdle is using other imaging technologies as evidence, including CT scans and MRIs that are more detailed than X-rays.
- Victims may not experience symptoms right away. Whiplash and other soft tissue injuries often do not cause pain for the victim in the immediate aftermath of an accident. The flow of adrenaline may prevent the person from experiencing symptoms. The main concern with the delayed effects of whiplash is that it may also lead a victim to delay getting treatment.
With any type of accident claim, it is crucial to seek proper medical care the same or the following day. If you wait, you are telling the insurer and members of the jury that your injuries are not serious.
- Whiplash can occur after a minor blow. This issue comes into play with traffic accidents, where the insurance company or jurors see a lack of damage to vehicles. They assume whiplash injuries are not severe because the force of the impact appears minor.
- Effects from whiplash can be ongoing. It can be difficult to evaluate pain and suffering because a victim could experience severe symptoms for months or even years. Calculating damages requires some foresight and predictions about whether and when the victim will recover.
A Baltimore Head and Neck Injury Attorney Helps Overcome Challenges
Whiplash may not be as visible as other injuries, but it is still a serious medical condition that leads to long-term complications. To learn how our team at Furman | Honick Law tackles pitfalls, please contact us to set up a no-cost case evaluation. You can reach our offices in Owings Mills or Baltimore by calling 410-844-6000 or visiting our website to schedule a free case evaluation with a partner.
Source:
hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/whiplash-injury
