Whiplash Injuries
Although often referred to as a sore neck, whiplash is a serious injury to the musculoskeletal system and a significant source of personal injury claims in British Columbia. As the name implies, whiplash occurs when the neck is forced to overextend similar to a whip. The extreme movement of the head and neck can cause damage to the spinal vertebrae or spinal cord, as well as nerves, discs, ligaments, and joints and can also lead to severe concussions or even brain damage.
The symptoms of whiplash generally manifest right after the accident or over the next few days. A person suffering from whiplash typically has the following symptoms: neck pain or stiffness, a limited range of motion, numbness in the arms and legs, headaches, fatigue, dizziness, and muscle weakness.
Whiplash is a serious injury and it can lead to chronic pain for long periods of time. It can also lead to serious psychological disorders and depression. In order to have the best possible chance of recovering from such injuries you need to be properly diagnosed in a timely manner. Healing from whiplash is a slow process and support is usually necessary.
Meeting With Your Lawyer
It is very important that you contact a personal injury lawyer to to ensure that you receive the maximum compensation you are entitled to for your whiplash claim. Such injuries require an approach that recognises that such injuries may take a long time to heal, and the full effects an injury will have on your life may not be known for months or even years after the injury. Such injuries thus require special attention and treatment, and it is important that you contact a lawyer whose approach will take these considerations into account.
A personal injury lawyer will take the time to carefully interview you and find out everything necessary about your whiplash injury, request medical reports from doctors detailing your injuries, and, confirm the extent of the harm you have suffered. This will ensure that the full effects of your injury, including the pain and suffering it has caused you, as well as its negative effects on the rest of your life, are quantified and that you receive the maximum compensation you are entitled to for this injury.