The Mayo Clinic estimates that over 3 million people suffer whiplash injuries each year in the United States. About half of them suffer severe and chronic pain, which requires treatment to manage. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to be in a horrific crash to suffer a whiplash injury. Even when you are traveling at low speeds, you may still find yourself in an accident that causes whiplash.
If you were recently involved in an accident, and you feel discomfort in the area around your neck, you need to see a doctor. Some injuries take longer to appear, or you may downplay their severity, keeping yourself from treatment worsening the situation. Our Katy whiplash lawyers are well connected to medical experts who major in these types of injuries. So apart from helping you hold the responsible parties accountable for your injuries and damages, our seasoned injury attorneys also give you access to expert medical practitioners.
Whiplash is a type of injury where the neck is suddenly snapped in a back and forth movement. Typically, every part of the human body has a range of motion within which it freely moves. Any excessive force that goes beyond these limits may cause permanent damage to your spine.
Fortunately, most whiplash injuries are minor, but severe cases may cause a strain and tear to muscles, ligaments, and delicate tissues. They are very common in rear-end accidents but may also result from slip and fall accidents, workplace injuries, or other types of car accidents.
The best way to determine whether you have suffered harm following an accident is by seeking a medical evaluation. But because whiplash injuries do not call for alarm for most people, many victims don’t seek medical attention until it’s too late. These pain symptoms may not be apparent immediately and may take up to 24 hours to fully show.
Some of the symptoms you should look out for are:
Even if you don’t feel that these symptoms will result in a forever injury, you should see a doctor. Some injuries are only noticed by a trained medical practitioner. If you are unsure about the doctor to see, our whiplash attorneys in Katy may recommend some of our expert doctors for you.
When you sustain internal body injuries or broken bones, you may easily see the damage on basic x-rays. However, it’s often impossible to do the same for whiplash injuries since they affect soft neck tissues. As such, you may be at a crossroads on whether to file a personal injury claim or not.
The preponderance of evidence lies in your ability to prove that you were injured due to negligence. But if you can’t prove that you suffered harm, you may have a difficult time filing a claim. Our seasoned attorneys could ensure that your physician documents their findings from the moment you step into the doctor’s office until you are done with treatment for your neck injury. The more proof you have of your symptoms and injuries, the more likely it is for you to recover compensation.
Many factors come into play when determining the worth of your whiplash injury claim. The severity of your injuries and the damages you suffer are two major ones. For example, if your injury only resulted in temporary pain, you may settle anywhere between $4,000 and $30,000, depending on your medical bills and the insurance policy. But in cases where the injury causes permanent harm such as herniated discs and lifelong medical treatment, your settlement could be in excess of $1 million, depending on the available insurance policy.
Generally, your settlement should cover the following damages:
These damages vary from case to case. Since they determine the worth of your whiplash claim, you should discuss all your losses with your lawyer before deciding to file a personal injury case.
The Katy whiplash lawyers at Lone Star Injury Attorneys can assist and advise you on your injury claim. Through our FREE consultations, you will understand your legal entitlements and also have an idea of the compensation you deserve. You shouldn’t worry about financing your case, we have a contingency fee policy in place for this specific reason. If you have further questions regarding whiplash injury claims, please feel free to call us or fill our online contact form and our representative will get in touch with you immediately.
