Whiplash Injury Compensation

If you have a whiplash injury from a car accident due to another’s negligence, contact Willens & Baez for your FREE consultation.

Whiplash is a common car accident injury. Getting fair compensation for this injury depends on the duration and nature of the injury, and the good medical records of the victim. With a whiplash injury claim, victims need to take steps to protect their right so they can receive fair compensation for damages caused by the negligent party.

Understanding Whiplash Injuries

In many whiplash cases, the actual extent of the physical damage sustained by a patient, particularly to their soft tissues in the cervical region, are not immediately evident following a car accident. It often takes days or even weeks for the symptoms of whiplash to show up. The symptoms of minor whiplash injuries tend to dissipate over a period of time. However, in cases of more serious whiplash injuries, victim can suffer immediate and prolonged medical problems.

While most insurance companies write off whiplash claims as mere nuisance claims, these injuries can be quite serious depending on the extent of overextension of ligaments and soft tissues in the neck. The neck or cervical region is responsible for the physical comfort and mobility of a person, and any damage to it can cause potentially long-term or even lifelong complications such as mobility problems and chronic pain. The problem with claims for whiplash injuries is that they are hard to document as they are often not evident on X-rays and other imaging and diagnostic tools, which makes the claim process a little complicated.

Most whiplash injuries heal on their own within a week or so, but the more serious ones may take up to as long as three months to heal. A person who experiences prolonged symptoms of a neck injury such as pain, stiffness, limited mobility, numbness, tingling, and other signs or symptoms may have an injury that is more serious that a minor or standard whiplash. Long term symptoms may indicate that the person has suffered damage to the cervical spine including injury to the intervertebral discs or joints. This could also indicate damage to the cervical ligaments or muscles, or injury to nerve roots in the neck area.

If these symptoms do not seem to go away, make sure not to dismiss it is as just whiplash. You must seek medical help. This will not only help improve your condition, but the medical records will also act as evidence to support your claim for compensation.

Chicago Whiplash Injury Claims

Before you file a claim for your whiplash injury, you must identify and document damages relevant to your claim before you notify any party of your intent to file a lawsuit. It is likely that your claim will end up in a settlement and will not go to trial. Remember, settlement values of whiplash vary greatly depending on whether the injury is minor, moderate or serious. For example, the injuries that affect the vertebrae or nerves may have a higher value.