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Whiplash injuries and Car Accidents

One of the most common injuries drivers and passengers involved in Salt Lake City car accidents sustain is a whiplash injury. While many people dismiss this injury as one that should not to be taken seriously, whiplash can be incredibly painful, and can prevent injury victims from enjoying their life as they normally would. If you have been in a car accident and have sustained a whiplash injury, legal counsel is available from the car accident attorneys at William Rawlings & Associates.   Do not wait to take action.

What is Whiplash?

whiplash

Whiplash is a type of soft-tissue injury that affects the ligaments, tendons, and surrounding tissues. Whiplash is also referred to as a neck strain or sprain. Whiplash occurs when the head moves backward and forward suddenly and violently, creating a whip-like motion. Auto accidents and whiplash injuries are closely related. Both drivers and passengers are susceptible to a whiplash injury in a rear-end accident or head-on collision.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, neck sprains and strains are the most commonly reported injury in car accident claims in the United States. In fact, in a recent year, 66 percent of all claimants filing under bodily injury liability coverage claimed neck injuries. Furthermore, it has also been reported that there were 805,581 whiplash injuries recorded from car accidents in the United States over a 12-year period. Of those injuries, 272,000 occurred in rear-end collisions.

People who sustain whiplash injuries may not notice symptoms immediately after an accident. The symptoms of pain, stiffness and difficulty moving neck without pain can take days to appear. The Mayo Clinic lists the following symptoms of a whiplash injury:

  • Neck pain;
  • Stiffness of neck;
  • Inability to move the neck (especially without pain);
  • Dizziness;
  • Fatigue;
  • Headaches;
  • Pain in shoulders;
  • Pain in upper back;
  • Pain in arms;
  • Depression;
  • Blurred vision;
  • Anxiety/feelings of irritability;
  • Problems with memory;
  • Trouble sleeping; and
  • Tinnitus.

If you have been in an auto accident and have any of symptoms of whiplash listed above, you should see a doctor as soon as possible. Your doctor may be able to diagnose the injury by a physical examination and by asking you questions. In other cases, your doctor may order an x-ray or other imaging tests to discover whether or not your whiplash injury is connected to any other injury.

The course of treatment that your doctor prescribes for your whiplash injury will depend entirely upon the extent of your injury. For some, treatment may be as easy as rest, ice and heat, and over-the-counter medications. For others, the treatment may involve prescription painkillers, muscle relaxants, numbing injections, and rehabilitative therapy. If you have sustained a whiplash injury in Utah and have incurred medical bills and other related expenses as a result, then you are allowed to seek recovery for these losses from your insurance company in a no-fault claim for damages. In the event that your claim amount surpassed Utah’s no-fault threshold–$3,000 in damages or serious disfigurement, fracture, permanent injury, or permanent loss of bodily function—then you may be entitled to file a claim for damages against the at-fault driver. You may be able to recover compensation for all losses related to the injury including compensation for:

  • Medical expenses;
  • Future treatment costs;
  • Medical costs;
  • Lost wages related to the injury; and
  • Pain and suffering.

Auto accidents and whiplash are not the only two things that you have to be concerned about. If you have been in a car crash, you may have other serious injuries as well. You may also be struggling to recover to return to work, gather evidence about your claim, and deal with the insurance company representing the other driver. In fact, your insurance adjuster may not even believe that your whiplash injuries are authentic, especially if you did not seek treatment for them immediately following your accident.

Many people believe that they cannot afford an attorney. However, when you choose a car accident attorney from William Rawlings & Associates, you pay nothing until we settle or win your case in trial. This way, you never have to worry about upfront fees or unreasonable costs. Do not wait to call a Utah car accident attorney after you have suffered from whiplash. When you call the Salt Lake City car accident team at William Rawlings & Associates, you are making a smart choice with your future in mind. Serving Salt Lake City, Provo, Ogden, and surrounding areas, our accident lawyers are ready to get to work on your case today. Contact us now online, or call our offices for a free case consultation.

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