Whiplash Injury
Whiplash is caused when a person suffers from a
sudden jolt to their head or body which damages
the muscles, ligaments, tendons or other soft tissues
in the neck.
When we hear the word "whiplash"
we automatically think of someone who has been involved
in a car accident; however, whiplash can be caused
by many different situations including slips, trips
and falls, sports injuries and even assaults and
attacks.
How whiplash can affect
you
Whiplash causes pain, stiffness and restriction
of movement in the neck area and can also cause
headaches, muscle spasms and pain in the shoulders
or arms of the injured person.
In more serious cases of whiplash
there can be swelling, back pain, pins and needles
in the arms, hands or fingers, dizziness, lethargy
and nausea.
In most cases, the injured person
will not develop symptoms of whiplash immediately
after their accident. The symptoms of whiplash will
develop a day or two afterwards and may get worse
over a period of time before starting to get better.
The severity of a whiplash injury
can vary greatly and while some people make a recovery
within a few days or weeks, others are left with
symptoms and pain from their whiplash injury for
months or even years.
[Back to Top]
How to treat your whiplash
injury
Whiplash can be treated in many different ways;
however, injured people often find that it is just
a case of waiting for their body to heal itself.
Ice packs can help to reduce any
swelling caused by the whiplash injury and painkillers
and anti inflammatory drugs are often helpful; however,
you should check with your GP or pharmacist before
taking any medication.
Resting an injured neck might be
advisable to begin with; however, you may find that
your GP later suggests you complete a series of
gentle exercises to prevent the areas affected by
the whiplash from stiffening up.
[Back to Top]
Car Accidents and Whiplash
Injuries
Whiplash is probably the most common type of injury
sustained following a road traffic accident.
If you are unfortunate enough to
suffer a whiplash injury following a road traffic
accident, which was not your fault, then you may
be entitled to make a personal injury compensation
claim.
If you are a passenger in a vehicle;
which is involved in a collision, your whiplash
compensation claim would be made against the insurance
company of the person responsible for the accident,
whether that is the driver of the vehicle you were
travelling in or a third party driver.
If you are a driver, a cyclist
or a pedestrian your whiplash compensation claim
would be made against the insurance company of the
person driving the vehicle; which collided with
you and caused your whiplash injury.
[Back to Top]
Steps to take to help your
claim for whiplash
As with all personal injury compensation claims,
you would need to prove that another person was
responsible for your whiplash injury.
To help your case, you should take
names, addresses and telephone numbers of any witnesses
to the accident and take photographs of the accident
locus if possible. If the whiplash injury is caused
in a Road Traffic Accident and the negligent driver
has no valid insurance, leaves the scene or admits
to driving a stolen vehicle, you should contact
the Police immediately and report the incident.
If you are intending to claim expenses
such as prescription costs and travelling expenses
incurred as a result of your whiplash injury, remember
to keep receipts as evidence.
[Back to Top]
Claiming Compensation
after a Whiplash Injury
If you or someone you know has suffered a whiplash
injury as a result of a road traffic accident or
any other type of accident, telephone us now for
accurate claim advice.
There are strict time limits
in place to make any injury claim. For further information,
contact us on telephone number 0161 236 9833.
We will be able to advise
you whether or not you have a valid claim for compensation.
Our specialist personal injury lawyers will be happy
to talk you through the process of making a claim
in plain English and will be happy to answer any
questions or queries you may have. If you do have
a valid personal injury compensation claim and you
decide to instruct us to deal with the matter for
you, we will recover our legal fees from the person
responsible for your injury, ensuring that the entire
procedure is cost-free for you. Telephone us now
on 0161 236 9833 or complete one of our online compensation
claim forms.
[Back to Top]
|
