Whiplash Associated Disorder, also known as whiplash, is a serious injury that can result in life-long and permanent pain and damage to the neck. Many people believe that whiplash is only a minor injury, and in some cases, that is true.
However, whiplash can result in serious pain and suffering for victims of car accidents. If you suffered whiplash following a car accident, you may have the ability to receive compensation for your injuries and losses. Consider visiting with our legal team to find out more about how a Pittsburgh whiplash accident lawyer at Ben Crump Law, PLLC at (844) 730-0233 can help you understand your legal rights.
Dangers of Whiplash
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), whiplash occurs when the neck has a sharp back-and-forth movement. This often occurs during a car accident. In many cases, whiplash injuries often result in minor discomfort that lasts only a few days or weeks.
In other cases, whiplash results in serious and more long-lasting symptoms that require a victim to receive medical treatments, therapy, or stronger muscle relaxers or pain medications. If you were the victim of a car accident, you should always watch for symptoms of whiplash as they may not appear until hours or days following the accident.
Always seek the advice of a medical professional as soon as any symptoms appear, or if any of your previously treated symptoms worsen. Additionally, you should always follow the advice of your medical professional regarding rest, treatment, medications, or therapy.
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Symptoms of Whiplash
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) lists several different symptoms of whiplash. It is always important to remember that victims of car accidents may not experience these symptoms immediately following a car accident due to stress, anxiety, overwhelm, or adrenaline. Some of the types of symptoms that occur from whiplash may include any pain in the neck or head area. Most of the time this is because damage occurred to the neck area from the sprain or strain on the neck itself. As a result, the damage can include injury to intervertebral joints, ligaments, cervical muscles, nerve roots, and discs.
Some of the symptoms may include myofascial pain to the muscles and ligaments, headaches, dizziness, neck pain, head pain, upper back pain, burning, prickling, fuzzy thinking or cognitive impairment, memory loss, difficulty concentrating, limited motion in the area, ear ringing, muscle spasms, mood swings, tenderness or stiffness, impaired vision, irritability, nervousness, anxiousness, fatigue, sleep disturbances, and depression.
If you developed whiplash and suffered any of these types of symptoms following your car accident, consider visiting with our legal team to learn more about how a Pittsburgh whiplash accident lawyer at Ben Crump Law, PLLC can help you ensure your legal rights remain protected.
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Medical Treatments for Whiplash
Every whiplash victim will have their own unique set of facts and circumstances surrounding their injury. While the following provides some different types of medical treatments for whiplash, any person that suffers from whiplash should follow the strict advice of their health care professional in order to better resolve their symptoms and overcome whiplash.
Treatment for whiplash often includes part or all of the following process:
- Visiting with a medical professional
- Receiving diagnostic testing (such as a CT scan or MRI scan)
- Possible surgery
- Neck brace
- Physical therapy
- Possible chiropractic assistance
- Rest
- Muscle relaxers
- Pain medications
Remember that it remains critical for you to always follow the advice and suggestions of your healthcare provider regarding your unique case of whiplash. Following your medical provider’s instructions also allows a victim to show that their injuries were not only the result of the accident but also that a victim’s pain and suffering may continue even if they follow the direct instructions of their health care provider.
Additionally, in some cases, victims suffering from whiplash also suffer from other serious injuries such as traumatic brain injury, nerve damage, and spinal cord damage.
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Insurance Claims and Victims Suffering From Whiplash
Many whiplash victims face an uphill battle attempting to convince an insurance company that their injuries are actually real. Unfortunately, because many people believe that whiplash is either an overreaction or not a serious injury, insurance companies may deny fair compensation to victims for their injuries and losses related to their whiplash claim.
If you make the decision to negotiate with insurance companies on your own, you should understand that many insurance companies will use deceptive and manipulative tactics in order to have victims take lower settlement amounts than they deserve under the law. Consider the following if you visit with an insurance company regarding your whiplash claim:
- Never provide a full medical history to an insurance company. They may attempt to find some pre-existing condition or injury that they can use to say that your whiplash injury was not related to your recent car accident.
- Insurance companies often attempt to record conversations. Never consent to these types of recordings as anything you say can be somehow used against you in the future.
- Never visit with an insurance company representative while you are still in the emergency room following the accident, the hospital, or under any kind of pain-killing or muscle relaxing medications. Things you say in these conversations can prove detrimental regarding your final settlement offer.
- Never post anything on any of your social media accounts during the time you await a determination regarding your settlement offer with your insurance company. An insurance company can use these posts against you to lower your settlement offer.
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Learn How a Pittsburgh Whiplash Accident Attorney Can Help
Learn how a Pittsburgh whiplash accident lawyer at Ben Crump Law, PLLC at (844) 730-0233 can help you understand all of your legal rights, and negotiate on your behalf with insurance companies to ensure you receive the compensation you deserve for your whiplash injuries and losses related to your car accident.
Call or text (844) 730-0233 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form