Spokane Whiplash Injury Attorney

Whiplash injuries are not a new phenomenon - or even necessarily limited to auto accidents. In fact, the first cases of whiplash were known as "Railway Spine," and occurred in people who had been in train collisions. However, it was not until 1955 that the phrase “whiplash” was coined because it is like cracking a whip – when your head is jerked forward, backward, or sideways like the tip of a whip being thrown out and jerked back. In most cases, this means a sudden and violent movement of the head and neck during an accident.

What are Symptoms of Whiplash?

In the immediate aftermath of a car accident, a whiplash injury may not have any symptoms. More frequently than not, whiplash symptoms gradually intensify and only become painful after a few hours or the next day. The delay is similar to how back, spine, joint, disc, nerve and soft tissue injuries often have a delayed onset.

Whiplash injuries can cause permanent damage to bones, joints, discs, ligaments, nerves, muscles, arteries, and tendons in the neck, upper back, and lower back. Whiplash injuries can lead to degeneration of the spine, chronic pain, and permanent disability. Pain can sometimes spread to the shoulders or arms. Speak to your doctors about developing a recovery plan and take your injuries seriously.

Can Whiplash Be Serious?

A whiplash injury can be serious or semi-permanent in some situations. While some whiplash patients start to make a noticeable recovery in a few weeks, the majority do not. Serious cases of whiplash can continue to cause daily pain and limited mobility for months, years, or potentially for the rest of the victim’s life.

The best way to try to minimize the severity and duration of a whiplash injury is to seek treatment as soon as possible. Follow your doctor’s orders as closely as you can, too, which will likely advise you to wear a neck brace 24/7 to keep your neck from moving and retriggering the injury.

Whiplash Injury Attorneys: A Permanent Soft Tissue Injury

Insurance companies aggressively fight whiplash cases because they believe they can win by arguing whiplash does not cause lasting injuries. One of the most common myths peddled by insurance companies is that whiplash injuries heal within six weeks and that care after that time is unnecessary. However, studies show that only 12% of whiplash victims fully recover, and at least one-third of whiplash injuries are permanent and disabling.

The medical evidence suggests that soft tissue personal injuries can be serious and can have long-term effects. Whiplash injuries commonly result in permanent injuries such as chronic pain, numbness, herniated discs, fractured vertebrae, permanent joint injury, brain injury, daily headaches, serious nerve and spine damage and accelerated degenerative changes leading to arthritis. Before speaking with insurance adjusters who will attempt to diminish the seriousness of your injuries, contact Sweetser Law Office for a free case reviews.

The reality is that an individual’s quality of life is diminished after a whiplash injury. A person’s career, recreational endeavors, participating in certain physical activities with their kids, may be a thing of the past. Permanent, life-altering harms such as these are not small and are often the greatest harms to a whiplash victim.

Oftentimes, whiplash victims are unable to work because of the injury or miss extended time at work as they seek treatment and recovery. Sometimes an individual cannot perform physical labor anymore and has to be re-trained in a different line of work. On top of this, medical bills and treatment can get expensive, from emergency room visits, doctor visits, X-rays, MRI’s, medications, physical therapy, surgery, injections, and referrals to other pain specialists. For whiplash victims injured by the negligence or wrongdoing of another, the civil justice system affords them the right to compensation for their expenses, lost wages, permanent limitations, pain, and loss of enjoyment of life.

You should know your legal rights if you sustained a whiplash injury after a car accident with the assistance of a knowledgeable Spokane personal injury lawyer. Contact us today at (509) 444-4444.