We Go The Extra Distance For Our Clients
Practice Areas
Sandy Springs Whiplash Lawyer
Whiplash is one of the most common injuries people suffer from after a car accident, and while whiplash is often considered to be a minor injury, it can still have major consequences. While a neck injury like whiplash often only causes a few days of pain, severe whiplash injuries can cause severe physical pain, permanently reduced movement, and more.
If you have suffered whiplash as a result of someone else’s negligence, you may be able to seek compensation for your injuries. Not sure where to turn? You’re actually right where you need to be. The Sandy Springs personal injury lawyers at Ashenden & Associates are here to provide you with the legal representation you deserve.
Call our law office at 770-394-8909 and schedule a free case evaluation with a whiplash injury attorney on our team to discuss your case.
What is Whiplash?
Whiplash is a neck injury that occurs when the soft tissues of the neck are stretched and pulled very quickly, usually caused by a sudden jolt of movement either forward or backward. This whip-like motion can cause microscopic tears in the connective tissue of the neck, causing pain, swelling, and a limited range of motion for the head and neck. Whiplash injuries tend to heal within a few weeks, but they can cause serious, long-term damage, especially if untreated.
What Causes Whiplash?
Whiplash injuries often occur as a result of:
- Auto accidents like car accidents and truck accidents
- Sports accidents
- Amusement park rides
- Workplace accidents
- Slip and fall accidents
- Acts of violence
- Other blows to the head that could cause violent neck motions
If you have suffered a whiplash injury due to any of these types of accidents, be sure to contact Sandy Springs auto accident attorneys and Sandy Springs work injury lawyers today.
Common Whiplash Symptoms
Below are some of the most common symptoms related to whiplash injuries. If you suspect that you have any kind of neck injury, you should seek medical attention to ensure you do not have a severe neck, back, or spinal cord injury.
Neck Pain
One of the most common and most noticeable symptoms of whiplash is neck pain. People who suffer from whiplash injuries often experience:
- Stiff, sore neck muscles
- Limited range of motion when moving the head or neck
- Numbness or tingling in the neck
- Swelling around the neck
Other Symptoms
In addition to neck pain, some other common symptoms include:
- Headaches starting at the base of the skull
- Difficulty concentrating
- Blurred vision
- Insomnia
- Tinnitus
- Dizziness or vertigo
- Numbness or tingling in the arms
- Fatigue
- Irritability
How Long Does it Take to Develop Symptoms From Whiplash Injuries?
If you have been in an accident, like a car crash, you may not experience symptoms of whiplash right away. Most people will experience whiplash symptoms within 24-72 hours of their accident. If you begin experiencing any whiplash injury symptoms, you should seek medical attention as soon as you can, especially if you begin experiencing any tingling, numbness, or weakness in your neck, shoulders, or arms.
How Are Whiplash Injuries Diagnosed?
Many whiplash injuries are undetectable through imaging tests. However, a medical professional may order certain imaging tests to ensure you don’t have another serious injury, like a herniated disk or bone fracture. These tests may include:
- X-rays
- Computerized tomography (CT) scans
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans
The doctor may also ask you a series of questions to assess your condition and determine the severity of your whiplash injury. They may ask you about your pain level and may ask you to try and turn your head from side to side to assess whether or not your range of motion has been limited.
Whiplash Injury Severity
A whiplash injury can be categorized into different various “grades” depending on the level of pain and the severity of the symptoms a person is experiencing. The Quebec Task Force classifies whiplash-associated disorders into the following grades.
- Grade 0: The patient is experiencing no symptoms of pain and is not presenting any physical signs of injury.
- Grade 1: The patient is experiencing symptoms of pain but is not presenting any physical signs of an injury, like reduced range of motion.
- Grade 2: The patient is experiencing symptoms of pain and is presenting physical signs of an injury.
- Grade 3: The patient is experiencing symptoms of pain and is presenting neurological signs of injury like headache, blurred vision, and confusion.
- Grade 4: The patient is experiencing symptoms of pain and has a fracture or dislocation.
Whiplash Treatments
Soft tissue injuries like whiplash tend to heal on their own with time, so any medical treatment for whiplash will simply treat the symptoms. If your symptoms are mild, your doctor may recommend you do certain stretches or exercises to help regain your lost range of motion and may recommend over-the-counter painkillers. If they are more severe, however, they may recommend you for physical therapy and may prescribe you medication for pain.
Can Whiplash Cause Permanent Damage?
Yes, while rare, whiplash can cause permanent damage. Some of the long-term effects of whiplash include:
- Fatigue
- Chronic pain and stiffness
- Blurry vision
- Jaw pain
- Chronic headaches
- Difficulty concentrating
- Insomnia
- Permanent change in mood or personality
If you or a loved one has suffered from long-term whiplash symptoms like chronic neck pain as a result of an accident, you should contact a trusted personal injury attorney. You may be able to recover compensation for things like medical care, lost income, and more.
Can I Sue for Whiplash From a Car Accident?
Yes, whiplash injury victims can sue the person responsible for the accident by filing a personal injury lawsuit. Normally, since Georgia is an at-fault state, those in car accidents or other accidents would file a claim with the insurance company of the person who caused the accident. However, victims can still file suit against the responsible party in order to receive additional compensation.
If you were in an accident like a car accident or truck accident, you can sue the person who caused the accident and receive compensation for things like medical costs, long-term medical treatment, lost income, loss of earning potential, and more. A Sandy Springs car accident attorney or a Sandy Springs truck accident attorney can walk you through every step of the legal process and help ensure you receive fair compensation for your losses.
Proving Fault in a Whiplash Injury Claim
In all personal injury claims, the injury victim must prove that someone else was at fault for the accident. They can do this by proving the four elements of negligence, which are:
- Duty of care: a responsibility to protect others from a reasonable amount of harm;
- Breach of duty of care: a failure to uphold that responsibility;
- Causation: the direct link between the breach of duty of care and the victim’s injuries; and
- Damages: the losses the victim suffered as a result of the negligence.
Let’s use the example of a car accident. Every driver has a duty of care to protect those around them from a reasonable amount of harm. This means that they should obey traffic laws, limit distractions, and drive cautiously.
If someone is texting and driving, then they have breached their duty of care to others. If they rear-end another driver and cause that person to suffer from whiplash, then the victim can sue the negligent driver for compensation.
A Sandy Springs personal injury lawyer could help the victim file a lawsuit and prove negligence by gathering medical records, contacting witnesses, and more. Having an experienced whiplash attorney on your side can be incredibly beneficial to your case since they’ll know exactly how to prove negligence in your personal injury lawsuit.
Damages for Whiplash Injuries
Whiplash injury lawyers can help victims of negligence recover compensation for damages, including:
- Medical expenses, including physical therapy costs
- Lost wages
- Loss of earning potential
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional trauma
Call a Sandy Springs Whiplash Lawyer at Ashenden & Associates Today
Neck injuries like whiplash can cause serious pain and hinder a person’s ability to function as they normally would. Luckily, whiplash victims can file a personal injury suit against the person responsible for their injuries and recover compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and more.
If you have suffered from a whiplash injury as a result of someone else’s negligence, call a whiplash injury lawyer at Ashenden & Associates. Our attorneys are committed to providing our clients with excellent service and expert representation, and we ensure each case is handled with the care and diligence it deserves.
Call our office today at 770-394-8909 or contact us online and schedule a free consultation with one of the whiplash injury lawyers on our team.
