Car accidents pose a number of serious risks to drivers and passengers alike. Every year thousands of people die or are injured in car crashes. These accidents can happen for any number of reasons, including distracted motorists, unsafe driving, adverse weather or dangerous road conditions. One of the most common injuries a person can sustain in any type of auto collision is whiplash.
Whiplash is a term used to describe any type of neck injury that affects the soft tissue. Necks are fragile and easy injured due to the amount of nerves present in them. Car accidents pose particular risks to necks because of the physics of them. When a person crashes, they often go from moving at a relatively fast speed to suddenly slowing and stopping on impact. This causes a person’s body to propel forward and then snap back. The extension and flexion puts a particular strain on a person’s neck and often results in soft tissue damage.
Whiplash is an often-misunderstood injury because symptoms do not necessarily appear right away. Although someone may feel the effects of whiplash immediately following an auto collision, for others it can take hours or even days to experience the injury. A person may think they are fine after an accident and then wake up the next day in severe pain. This can lead to problems and even doubts about their credibility, especially if they have initially reported that they were uninjured.
Anyone who has experienced the effects of whiplash understands how serious and painful it can be. It may manifest in a number of ways, including neck or back pain and stiffness, dizziness, blurred vision, severe headaches and tingling feelings in the arms and hands. These symptoms may be temporary in nature or they could cause long-term disability to the victim.
If you have suffered the painful effects of whiplash in an auto accident, you may be able to seek compensation from those responsible for the crash. Contact the skilled injury lawyers at Lanier Law Group, P.A. in North Carolina today.