Individuals who have been involved in a car accident usually know that the injuries suffered in these wrecks can fall anywhere on a spectrum of severity. At one end are those injuries that are debilitating and have life-long impacts. These injuries include brain and spinal cord injuries, which can leave a victim paralyzed and with significantly diminished cognitive abilities. Most of these individuals require long-term care and usually cannot work to support themselves.
While these injuries deserve a lot of attention, so do injuries that are nearer to the other end of the spectrum. Broken bones, severe lacerations, and torn ligaments can all disrupt a victim’s day-to-day life, cause medical expenses to be incurred, and force a victim to lose wages due to missed work.
Another one of these injuries is whiplash. This injury occurs when the neck snaps back-and-forth due to a forceful impact such as a car accident. Those who suffer from whiplash can experience stiffness of the neck, loss of motion of the neck, headaches, fatigue, and even more severe symptoms like blurred vision, depression, and memory problems. Though some people are able to treat whiplash with rest and over-the-counter pain relievers, others require prescription drugs and physical therapy in order to ease pain and return their neck to its normal range of motion. Even more extreme treatment may be necessary in more severe cases of whiplash.
The tests and treatments associated with whiplash can throw an individual’s finances into havoc. Top these losses with pain and suffering and any accompanying lost wages and an individual can find himself or herself overwhelmed. When this injury was caused in by the negligence of another, though, compensation may be recoverable through a personal injury lawsuit. For this reason, those who are hurt in a car accident may want to speak with a legal professional to better determine their likelihood of success on one of these claims.