NECK PAIN WHIPLASH AFTER CAR ACCIDENT – MN LAWYER
After a car accident, many of our clients have injuries to their neck and back. This is often described as a ‘whiplash’ injury. Whiplash is a term that is used to describe an injury to the neck when the head is flung forward, then back. This is common in a rear end accident at high speed. Whiplash is frequently associated with motor vehicle collisions, usually when the car has been rear ended. The injury is caused when a person’s car is hit in the rear and the force of the impact whips (accelerates) their head forward.Then, as the body moves forward, it causes the head to be thrown back (decelerating), often hitting the headrest in the process.
Our Minnesota auto accident lawyers see this type of neck and back pain injury frequently after a car crash.
WHAT IS WHIPLASH
Whiplash is also called a neck sprain or neck strain. In whiplash, the intervertebral joints (located between vertebrae), discs, ligaments, cervical muscles, and nerve roots may become damaged. The insurance company will sometimes try to downplay the seriousness of a ‘whiplash’ injury. However, the effects can actually be severe and long-term.
Symptoms of whiplash may take as long as 24 hours to appear after the initial car crash. People who experience whiplash may develop one or more of the following symptoms:
- Neck pain and stiffness
- Pain in the shoulder or between the shoulder blades
- Low back pain
- Pain or numbness in the arm and/or hand
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Difficulty concentrating or remembering
- Irritability, problems with sleep, fatigue
In most cases, injuries to the soft tissues of the spine – the discs, muscles, tendons, ligaments – can’t be seen on standard x-rays. Therefore, in order to diagnosis a ‘whiplash’ injury, doctors examine the patient and, sometimes, utilize other tests like CT scans or an MRI.
There are numerous treatments available to persons whose neck has been injured in a car accident. Treatments include medications, physical therapy, injections, chiropractic care, and sometimes surgery. See also, HOW TO GET MEDICAL BILL PAID.
COMPENSATION FOR CAR ACCIDENT WHIPLASH
If you have sustained a neck injury in a car crash, please call us and speak with an experienced attorney for more information. Pam Rochlin and David Rochlin are Minnesota personal injury lawyers with more than 25 years’ experience successfully handling hundreds of MN auto accident cases.
You can discuss your whiplash injury case with a car accident attorney at our offices in Edina, Minneapolis, and Woodbury. One of our top car accident lawyers willcan also meet you at your home in Elk River, Rogers, Maple Grove, Anoka, Plymouth, Brooklyn Park, Chanhassen, Chaska, Apple Valley, Lakeville, Burnsville, Albert Lea, St. Paul, and other cities throughout Minnesota. An attorney will answer your questions and provide a free consultation. We always only charge clients based on a contingency, i.e. we only get paid a percentage of what you receive as compensation.