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Completing Paperwork For Your Personal Injury Case

No Joking Matter: Whiplash Injuries And Car Wrecks

16 May 2019

Christopher Wilson

Whiplash victims with neck braces along with overeager lawyers are often seen as comical, but those who've suffered from the painful aftereffects of a whiplash injury are not usually laughing. Whiplash involves damage to the neck and shoulder area caused by the sudden flexing of the soft tissues when impacted by a crash. Unfortunately, tropes about whiplash injuries can make it more challenging for victims to get the compensation they need after a wreck. Read on to learn more.

Seek Medical Treatment

In some cases, soft tissue injuries like whiplash are not apparent right away after an accident. If you begin to notice any pain in your neck or shoulder area after an accident, seek help right away. Be sure to tell your doctor about the cause of the pain since many doctors can more easily diagnose and treat whiplash once they know about your accident.

Document Your Damages

To strengthen your claim, be sure you keep up with all expenses after an accident, no matter who is supposed to be paying for that particular expense or whether they were paid at all. Take a look at the following list of common expenses to expect after an accident:

• Medical expenses
• Lost wages
• Mileage to and from medical appointments (don't forget to include parking fees, tolls, and public transportation costs)
• Rental car expenses
• Personal property losses like cell phones and child safety seats

It's best to both keep the receipts and statements for the above items and to note the expenses down in a notebook.

Pain and Suffering

Whiplash injuries are painful, as you may already know. You might never notice how often you move your head and neck in the course of a normal day until after an injury. That pain, however, is not all you will have to deal with as a result of the wreck. When almost every movement you make causes pain, your enjoyment of life is seriously curtailed. You may not be able to attend your child's soccer game, go on a planned vacation, or finish that semester in college. All of these miseries and more are what is known as pain and suffering and you are entitled to be paid for it. Usually, you can expect to be paid for pain and suffering only if you take legal action against the at-fault driver. Most insurance policies don't cover this damage category.

To get the full payment for your whiplash injury, speak to an auto accident lawyer as soon as possible.

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