After a car accident, you may be tempted to minimize your injuries. If you aren’t obviously hurt, you might ignore proper medical care to dodge some expensive medical bills. While it may seem like a good idea in the moment, choosing not to get medical help is one of the biggest mistakes you can make. This is especially true if you are suffering from severe whiplash.
Whiplash is a very common injury to experience when you are involved in a vehicle accident. Many people assume, however, that it’s an easy injury to recover from, and little to no medical intervention is needed to recover. While this may be true of minor whiplash injuries, severe cases can cause years of misery if ignored.
What is Whiplash?
Whiplash is a soft tissue injury that is caused when your head is jerked back and forth suddenly and forcibly. This jerking motion stretches the muscles and tendons in your neck, and in severe cases, can even injure your spine.
Those who suffer from whiplash often experience:
Severe neck pain
Headaches
Dizziness
Blurred vision
Difficulty concentrating
Intense jaw pain
It can take weeks for all of your symptoms to develop. This means that while you may feel totally fine immediately following your accident—save for a slightly sore neck—you could be in a lot more pain a few days later.
How Whiplash Can Lead To Long-Term Complications
Those with minor cases of whiplash often recover quickly so long as they take proper care of themselves. However, others who have more severe injuries may be in pain for several years, with seemingly no relief or end in sight.
People who have suffered neck injuries in the past, as well as older people, are at a particularly high risk for developing long-term whiplash complications. While many people believe those who claim to have whiplash only do it in order to get a higher insurance settlement, the reality is that long-term whiplash symptoms are not easy to live with. Some common ones include:
Constant, chronic headaches
Spine damage
Nerve damage
Stiffened neck
Constant, chronic soreness
Vertigo
Even with proper medical guidance and treatment, you may suffer these symptoms for months to years. They could get so bad you may find yourself unable to move your neck without experiencing shooting pain. That can impact your ability to work, earn a livable wage, and even just play with your children or grandchildren. Long-term whiplash can impact every facet of your life. Medication and physical therapy can help minimize the symptoms, thankfully. That is why seeking medical attention is so vital.
Following An Accident
How ever minor you believe your injuries are, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible after an accident. Never let a bias against minor injuries get in the way of proper health care. Even if you believe you can just walk a whiplash injury off, it is very possible following that impulse will leave you with years of chronic pain.
You should also avoid settling with the at-fault insurance company too quickly. Insurance adjusters know that injuries and symptoms often take time to fully develop, so they have a vested interest in settling the case as quickly as possible. Take the time to assess your own injuries so that you know exactly how much you should recover in damages.
Finally, following a severe crash with a negligent driver, you should contact a car accident attorney. The Husband and Wife Law Team are here to guide you step-by-step through the claims process and fight for your right to compensation. We at Breyer Law Offices, P.C. have years of legal experience at our disposal and will not minimize your injuries. Call us so that we can talk about your case.