Whiplash Injuries from Car Accidents

Whiplash is a common injury resulting from car collisions. If left untreated, whiplash can cause chronic pain and disability.

At Chiumento Law, PLLC, our legal team understands the challenges that whiplash car accident victims often face. Will the insurance company dispute the severity of your injuries? Can you recoup the money needed to pay for your medical care and offset your lost wages? How do you move forward after the accident? These are questions that we can discuss with you during a free consultation.

Our full-service law firm has been offering compassionate and effective legal representation to injured Floridians since 1973. If you’ve been diagnosed with whiplash following a Florida car accident caused by a careless driver, turn to an experienced Palm Coast personal injury attorney for help. At Chiumento Law, PLLC, we have the resources to handle all your legal needs. Suffering from whiplash after a car accident? Then contact our office today.

Understanding Whiplash Injuries

Whiplash is an injury that affects the muscles, tendons, discs, and nerves of the neck. Typically, whiplash is caused by a rapid and violent back-and-forth motion, like the cracking of a whip. Car accidents are most commonly associated with whiplash. But physical abuse, violent shaking, and contact sports can also lead to whiplash injuries.

A common fallacy concerning whiplash injuries is that whiplash only occurs in rear-end or high-speed collisions. While motorists often sustain whiplash in rear-end crashes, a motorist can suffer whiplash during nearly any violent impact. Even low-speed crashes can lead to whiplash injuries. Car accidents involving speeds as low as 15 miles per hour can cause whiplash. The force of an airbag inflating may also result in neck injuries and whiplash.

Unfortunately, whiplash can result in long-term medical complications, especially if left untreated. Chronic neck pain, limited range of motion, and pain that radiates to the arms may plague an individual for weeks, months, or even years.

Recognizing Whiplash Symptoms

After any vehicle collision, it is important to seek medical attention immediately. Signs and symptoms of whiplash, such as neck stiffness and pain, can take hours or even days to manifest. Early treatment tends to yield a better prognosis. Some of the most common symptoms associated with a whiplash diagnosis include:

• Neck pain
• Neck stiffness
• Worsening of pain with movement
• Loss of range of motion, difficulty moving head or neck
• Headaches, especially at the base of the skull
• Fatigue
• Dizziness
• Numbness or tingling in the arms or fingers
• Tenderness or pain in the shoulders or upper back

In addition to neck pain and stiffness, more severe cases of whiplash may lead to:

• Ringing in the ears or tinnitus
• Blurred vision
• Changes in sleeping patterns or sleep disturbances
• Memory problems
• Difficulty concentrating

Medical Attention for Whiplash

If you’re wondering what to do for whiplash after a car accident, the answer is to seek medical attention immediately, no matter how seemingly minor the crash. The excitement and surge of adrenaline after a collision can mask the signs of injuries in the immediate aftermath of a car accident. Even low-speed collisions can cause significant injuries that require medical intervention.

Failing to seek medical attention can lead to long-lasting pain and medical complications. If you do not seek medical attention in the days after an accident, an insurance company might use that fact to dispute your claim and argue that your injuries are not serious or were not caused by the collision.

A healthcare professional can evaluate your symptoms and offer treatment appropriate to the severity of your whiplash injury. If your injury is minor, you may only need rest and over-the-counter medication to treat the symptoms of whiplash. More complex injuries involving the discs or nerves in the neck may require muscle-relaxing medications, physical therapy, immobilization with a cervical collar, and potentially surgery.

Impact of Pre-Existing Conditions on Your Whiplash Claim

Some people assume they can’t get the compensation they deserve for whiplash from car accidents because they have been diagnosed with pre-existing medical conditions, such as back pain or a herniated disc. However, pre-existing conditions should not prevent you from seeking compensation for your injuries following a car accident. An experienced attorney at Chiumento Law can consult with medical specialists to gather evidence demonstrating that your whiplash injury occurred as a result of the car accident.

Your current diagnosis and medical documentation can help your attorney build a compelling car accident whiplash claim.

Legal Rights and Claims Process

Can you sue for whiplash after a car accident? The answer is complicated. Florida has a no-fault car insurance system. Following a car accident, you typically turn to your own personal injury protection insurance policy to pay your initial medical expenses, not that of the at-fault driver. Florida requires motorists to carry $10,000 of personal injury protection coverage. PIP insurance covers 80 percent of reasonable medical expenses and 60 percent of lost income up to the policy limit.

While your own PIP policy is your first source of compensation for whiplash injuries, if your medical bills and related losses exceed the limits of the PIP policy, you can file a personal injury lawsuit against the at-fault driver if you meet the state’s severity threshold.

Recovering the compensation you deserve takes evidence such as:

• Medical records
• Crash scene photographs
• Police reports
• Traffic camera/dashcam footage
• Accident reconstructions
• Eyewitness testimony
• Expert testimony

Gathering evidence on your own can be challenging when you suffer from a painful whiplash injury. An experienced car accident attorney at Chiumento Law understands the kind of evidence needed to build a strong whiplash injury case.

Role of Chiumento Law, PLLC

Why do you need a Palm Coast whiplash attorney to help you pursue the compensation you deserve? Because the insurance and litigation processes are challenging. They involve taking on insurance companies eager to protect their profits. An experienced attorney can review your circumstances, determine your options for seeking compensation, and act on your behalf.

At Chiumento Law, PLLC, we can help you by:

• Investigating the cause of the accident
• Gathering evidence to substantiate your whiplash claim
• Communicating with the insurance companies on your behalf
• Negotiating aggressively for a fair settlement
• Arguing your case in court if necessary

Don’t try to navigate the insurance claims process on your own if you have a serious injury. Turn to an experienced whiplash accident attorney for help to pursue the money you need.

Contact an Experienced Whiplash Attorney Now

Have you been diagnosed with whiplash following a car accident in Palm Coast? Discuss your situation with an experienced Palm Coast whiplash car accident attorney at Chiumento Law, PLLC. Chiumento Law is a full-service law firm dedicated to helping people in Flagler and Volusia counties seek just compensation for serious injuries caused by others. Contact our office today for a free consultation with a whiplash lawyer in Palm Coast, FL.