Neck Pain From an Accident
When a person is involved in any type of accident, whether this is a car accident or a workplace accident, people first start looking for visible injuries. Visible injuries include seeing blood or even bone sticking out of the skin from broken arms or the like.
They look for bruising and swelling. And even if there isn’t present, those first responders on the scene are going to move the person easily and avoid moving their neck.
This is because neck injuries are often silent and not seen. They are often felt, but when in an accident, the person may not register that their neck is actually injured at first.
That is why several people who have been involved in accidents often find that the neck injury appears a few days or even months after the accident happens.
When this is the case, many people think that they simply have to live with this pain that they have no options.
After all, if the neck pain occurred several weeks after an accident…was the accident to blame? Yes, it could have been.
Signs that You May Have a Neck Injury
Pain is not the only thing that a person could have when they have suffered a neck injury. And this is something that many people do not realize.
Due to the importance of the spine, when the neck is injured, there are several signs that a person may exhibit that showcases a neck injury aka whiplash is the reason for these issues. The symptoms include:
– Having stiffness in the neck
– Feeling pain or muscle weakness in the neck
– Being dizzy
– Being tired no matter how much you sleep
– Your neck may be so stiff or hurt so much that you cannot move this
– When the neck is moved, the pain increases dramatically
– Headaches
– The shoulders or the upper back may have pain in the muscle or stiffness as well
– Having pain, tingling, numbness or a combination of issues in the upper and lower arms
For those who do show these symptoms, they will want to visit their doctor as soon as possible to determine if there is a neck injury that needs to be taken care of. Do not just write off these symptoms as being something else, in doing so, you could be hurting yourself.
Long Term Effects of a Neck Injury
When a person suffers a neck injury, once this has had time to heal up, are there long term effects that they need to be aware of? Yes! It is these long term effects that could hurt a person in several aspects of their lives.
While the majority of people are able to overcome this injury with no long term effects, there are those who have issues. For example:
– Lifelong pain in the neck
– Numbness may stay present in the arms
– Chronic headaches due to this injury
It could also mean that their neck is susceptible to being injured worse in the future since they are not fully healed and back to one hundred percent from the previous neck injury.
There are those who suffer from neck injuries that leave them unable to hold down a steady job that requires a lot of lifting or other physical work. For those who had a job in this industry, it could mean changing up their entire life in order to work and making a living.
This is why it is so important that you know what to do if you have been involved in an accident that resulted in a neck injury.
Claiming a Neck Injury
Neck injuries are tricky, especially since you may not have signs of whiplash when the accident first happens. This is why it is vital that you never make a statement at the accident that you are fine.
This can be used against you later…even if you do suffer a neck injury that can be proven was from the accident. Be sure that if someone asks what is hurting, you relay back those things you feel right now.
But, don’t say I am fine…too many people have done this before and they end up losing any claim that they may have had for this injury.
First, be sure to file a claim when you start feeling the neck pain. You may find it helpful to work with a personal injury lawyer so that you have a professional that is working on your side.
Your claim is going to state that you have received this neck injury from the accident, along with details of this accident.
Once the claim has been filed, the evidence is going to be collected to determine if your injury was from this accident. They are going to take into consideration the accident reports from police officers or the like that have been filed, along with the claims that doctors have made on this injury.
A decision will be made based on the evidence that has been collected from all of these parties. This is why this type of claim can take a while, as there is tons of information that must be collected to determine if this injury was the fault of someone else.
That is why we always recommend that you start the claim process once you start to feel the effects of this injury, whether it is a few days after the accident or a few weeks.
A Few Things to Help You
For those who suffer a neck injury, there are a few things that you can do to help your case so that you are proven to be the victim of this accident.
- Be sure to keep your appointments with the doctor. And if they recommend that you go to a specialist do this. Do not simply go to the emergency room to check your neck and be done with this. Without the proper medical treatment taking place, your claim can be denied.
- Keep your own notes of the symptoms that you have so that these can be used later when you are trying to get something done.
- Keep copies of your medical records and the like so that you have these if they are needed.
- Work with a professional lawyer. This way you have a better chance of getting a positive judgment in your claim.
Your claim can be made for the wages that you have lost due to this injury, the medical costs that this is causing and even pain and suffering. This is something that you can discuss with a lawyer once your case has been reviewed.
For those who have suffered a neck injury, aka Whiplash, then we are here for you.
Here at Conte Jaswal, we have worked with clients throughout the Toronto area who have suffered a neck injury due to being in an accident. We can help you through this painful time as well!
We will fight for you, helping you through each aspect of this claim so that you can have a positive outcome. Contact us today for a consultation to discuss what options you may have.
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