Among all car accident claims, those involving whiplash injuries are probably the most prevalent. A whiplash refers to the stretching and tearing of the muscles, tendons, and ligaments in the neck and spine. Massachusetts car accidents have their share of whiplash claims that many drivers and passengers in high speed as well as low impact collisions often experience. 

Most whiplash injuries occur in rear-end accidents or any other accident that involves a sudden acceleration or deceleration. When struck, the driver or passenger’s neck and back are suddenly thrown forward and then backward, extending the person’s soft tissue structures beyond their limit.

Sports injuries and even slip and fall accidents can result in whiplash injuries as well. Such injuries are often disputed by insurance adjusters and defense lawyers since soft tissue injuries cannot be objectively verified on an X-ray, though an MRI or CT Scan can pick up changes and damage to soft tissue structures. 

Complicating such injuries are that car accident victims may not manifest symptoms immediately following a collision. Some may not appear until hours or even days later, prompting insurance adjusters to question that a claimant was injured and is merely seeking financial gain. This is another reason why claimants should retain an experienced car accident lawyer to handle their claim. 

Symptoms of a Whiplash Injury  

Symptoms vary widely among those suffering from whiplash injuries, which often include:

• Headaches
• Neck and/or back pain and stiffness
• Nausea
• Shoulder pain
• Pain and tingling or numbness in fingers and hands
• Irritability
• Sleeplessness

Damage to the spine can also be a result of a rear-end collision. A person who has pre-existing injuries to their spine, back or neck can be more susceptible to injury or suffer more intense symptoms than a fit individual. Even if your accident exacerbated a pre-existing injury, you are still entitled to compensation.

It often requires the skills and knowledge of a car accident lawyer who has handled numerous whiplash injuries if you want the best opportunity for a satisfactory outcome. You need a lawyer who has worked with experienced and credible health care providers who understand and appreciate the nature of such injuries, their difficulty in convincing skeptical insurance adjusters, and how to demonstrate and prove damages. 

Treatments for Soft Tissue Injuries

Unlike a broken limb, cut, or vertebral injury, soft tissue injuries are treated in certain ways:

• Icing affected areas for initial 24-hours after the collision
• Cervical neck collar to stabilize the tendons and muscles
• Heat to injured areas
• Administering non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications
• Taking muscle relaxant medications
• Undergoing gentle stretching exercises
• Massage therapy
• Chiropractic manipulations
• Physical therapy
• Injections to ease pain

Symptoms can last from a few weeks to months or even years in some cases. Damage to the spine or disc in a rear-end accident with typical whiplash symptoms can also develop into a disc herniation that may require surgery.

Damages in a Whiplash Injury Claim

Millions of people suffer whiplash injuries each year. The pain and disability that they suffer are as real as any broken limb, laceration, or internal organ injury, and victims are just as entitled to reasonable compensation as anyone else. 

Depending on your economic circumstances, employment, extent of your injuries, and other factors, damages vary widely. You are entitled to:

• Past and future medical expenses
• Past and future income loss
• Lost earning capacity
• Permanent disability
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Spousal claim for loss of consortium

By retaining an experienced car accident lawyer to prove your damages, you have the best opportunity for obtaining the most compensation for your injuries.

Retain a Car Accident Lawyer at Tetzel Law

Tetzel Law handles car accident cases with offices in Boston and Worcester. Our firm represents the interests of injured claimants for years and has obtained millions of dollars in compensation for his clients. Call for a free consultation about your injury claim at (617) 742-1700.