What Is Whiplash?

If you’ve suffered whiplash as a result of a car accident, or other personal injury, you understand how painful and lengthy the recovery time can be. At Jack Bernstein, Injury Attorneys, our experienced team can help you recover the compensation you deserve. 

Our personal injury attorneys have decades of experience handling whiplash cases just like yours, and can help you navigate the legal process with the confidence and representation you deserve.

What Is Whiplash and How Does It Happen?

Whiplash is the sudden, forceful movement of the neck, in which your head moves back-and-forth. This movement typically happens when there’s an impact involving great force, like when you are in a rear end collision that makes your head rock in a forceful, or even violent, manner. 

Under normal circumstances, when you move your neck, you know how much pressure to apply so that you don’t overextend your neck muscles and ligaments. During accidents where whiplash occurs, you don’t have that reaction time, and your neck muscles are forced to bend back and forth in a way that causes muscles and ligaments to stretch out excessively, and in many cases, tear. 

Whiplash is considered a soft tissue injury, and while you will heal over time, it doesn’t discount the pain and discomfort that follows during the healing process.

Common Whiplash Symptoms That You Shouldn’t Ignore 

Your neck and the discs between your vertebrae are designed to be flexible, but if a forceful impact like whiplash causes discs to slip out of place, or ligaments to tear, your symptoms can be severe. 

Symptoms of whiplash will start to present themselves around the 12 or 24 hour mark. As time progresses, the symptoms can get worse before they get better. Here are some common symptoms you may experience if you’ve been the victim of whiplash. You should not ignore these symptoms and should seek out medical care if you have not already. 

• Neck pain and stiffness: This is generally the first symptom you’ll experience with whiplash. The area around the base of your head and the sides of your head can feel stiff, tender to the touch, and may even show signs of swelling.
• Headaches: Headaches following whiplash are common, and these headaches will generally present themselves at the base of your head. 
• Dizziness and vertigo: Many whiplash victims may feel dizzy when they move around suddenly, or when they sit and stand up, and have issues with balance. 
• Blurred vision: It’s common for victims of whiplash to experience blurred vision, or have the constant urge to rest their eyes.
• Fatigue: As your body heals, it’s going to demand more time to rest, and as a result, you’ll feel more fatigue than you usually do.
• Shoulder and back pain: The stiffness around your neck can often spread out to your shoulders and back. Lower back pain is another common symptom you might experience. 
• Numbness or tingling in arms and hands: The sudden trauma to your neck muscles and pinched discs can cause you to feel tingling in your arms and hands. You should seek medical care if you have not already had this symptom.
• Cognitive issues: Your cognitive health can be impacted by whiplash, which can result in memory issues, difficulty concentrating, and an overall delay in concentration.

Diagnosis of Whiplash 

Diagnosing whiplash is pretty straightforward. You can speak with a primary care provider but you will likely get referred to a hospital or medical facility where an X-ray will be recommended.  X-rays can create digital images of internal tissues and bones, providing you evidence of whether soft tissue has been damaged as a result of your accident.

If your car accident was severe, you may be recommended a CT scan or MRI. These are more advanced level scans that take full images of your brain and body, providing comprehensive insight into whether other injuries might be applied. This concludes whether you suffered tissue injury in your brain, have broken bones, injured organs, or have other non-visible injuries. 

Treatments for Whiplash 

There are many different treatment approaches used for whiplash. Fortunately, many of these approaches do not require medical interventions, and are used alongside therapies that you can try in the comfort of your home. 

Some of these treatments include: 

• Rest and ice/heat therapy: Letting your body rest is the best way for it to heal properly and as quickly as it can. Alternating between ice and heat can also help minimize swelling, alleviate pain, and help make recovery feel a bit easier. 
• Pain medication: Your doctor may prescribe you a prescription, or over-the-counter pain medication to help you manage the pain. 
• Physical therapy: Physical therapy includes stretches and exercises, and it is an effective way to help you regain control over your range of motion without the use of medication. 
• Chiropractic care: The chiropractor can help you with any adjustments needed if you’re experiencing lingering pain or other symptoms.
• Surgery: Although rare, surgery may be required to repair torn ligaments or muscles that need medical intervention. 

How Long Does Whiplash Last?

So, how long does whiplash last? Well, it depends on several factors. As with a soft tissue injury like whiplash, it takes some time for your muscles and ligaments to fully heal after your accident. It can take anywhere from 3 months to 6 months to fully heal from a whiplash injury. However, the more severe your injury was, the longer it may take to heal. 

Medical history is an important factor to consider. If you’ve had a whiplash injury in the past, it may take you longer to heal as well. 

Some of the factors that can affect recovery time include:

• Personal medical history
• Your age
• The type of muscles and ligaments impacted and the severity of the injury to them
• Accidents that caused whiplash in the past
• Pre-existing conditions
• The severity of the trauma to your overall body

Whiplash From Car Accidents: Understanding Your Rights in Tampa

A whiplash injury resulting from a car accident is one of the most common injuries victims of auto accidents will face. The more severe the impact, the more severe whiplash symptoms and cervical spine issues are. According to a report published in Science Direct, cervical spine injuries are some of the most common injuries resulting from traffic crashes. 

While there are no specific data points of whiplash counts, the study did identify that there are roughly 869,000 traffic accidents each year that result in a cervical spine injury. Of these crashes, 841,000 result in sprains and strains conducive to whiplash.

It’s important to seek out medical attention because this will help you establish a record that you sought out care. This record will prove invaluable when you start putting together your personal injury claim. 

You’ll also be able to detail the losses you’ve endured, including financial and intangible losses, such as pain and suffering. By being able to prove the damages you’ve sustained with the help of an attorney for a whiplash injury in Tampa, you’ll be able to have a stronger claim against the party who caused the accident in the first place.

How To File a Personal Injury Claim in Tampa, Florida

To file a personal injury claim in Tampa, Florida, you’ll first need to seek medical care, gather evidence of the accident, as well as evidence pointing toward who caused the accident. Next, you’ll need to reach out to an experienced Tampa, Florida, personal injury attorney.

An attorney will look at your case from a legal standpoint and determine what type of damages you can pursue, and if there are any other negligent parties involved beyond just the other driver who hit you in your car accident. For example, if your car accident happened in part because of a damaged roadway that was left up to the city to maintain, the city could also be held partially responsible for your injuries.

Whiplash Settlement Payouts in Accident Cases 

So, exactly what type of compensation can you recover in a whiplash accident case? Well it’s important to note that an overwhelming majority of personal accident Injury lawsuits that claim whiplash will end in a settlement.

The damages you can recover are broken down into economic and non-economic damages. 

Economic damages refer to the tangible and calculable losses you’ve sustained. This includes things like property damage, medical bills, and lost wages because of your inability to work.

Non-economic damages refer to incalculable losses. This typically includes things like pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, disfigurement, and other related losses. 

The Importance of Consulting With a Tampa Whiplash Lawyer 

If you’ve been the victim of a personal injury or car accident that has resulted in whiplash, you have the right to pursue and recover damages caused by negligent parties. The first step to recovering damages you’re entitled to is seeking out the guidance of an experienced Tampa whiplash lawyer. 

Our attorneys have decades of experience handling whiplash cases, and are ready to take on your claim. Our team of attorneys, investigators, and paralegals will investigate your case fully, help you explore all available options, will negotiate aggressively on your behalf, and are prepared and ready to represent you in court if your case goes to trial. Our track record speaks for itself as we’ve helped thousands of victims recover a whiplash settlement in Florida.

FAQ

Sources:

8 Best Stretches & Exercises for Whiplash. (2020).

Freeman, M. (2020). Estimating the number of traffic crash-related cervical spine injuries in the United States; An analysis and comparison of national crash and hospital data. 

Whiplash Injury.