How Whiplash Can Cause Lasting Trauma & Pain 

Car accidents happen all too often. If you happen to be the victim of a car accident and are lucky enough to walk away from the accident with just minor scrapes and bruises you should still be vigilant and proactive when it comes to injuries that may manifest later.

Just because you do not feel immediate pain or have immediate injuries, it does not mean you are free and clear to go. Most injuries can appear days to weeks later. These injuries are most often due to whiplash. And if they are not properly diagnosed and treated immediately they can cause lasting pain and trauma on your body.

What is Whiplash?

Whiplash is one of the most common injuries sustained in a car accident.It is due to the violent nature of the head forcefully and quickly snapping back and forth in rapid succession. This occurs most often from a rear-end collision, but can also occur should you slam on the brakes too quickly and brace for impact. This unnatural body movement causes tears in your ligaments that can take a while to heal.

Even with it being so common, the signs and even symptoms of whiplash may not even present themselves until days or even weeks after the car crash.Due to this slow onset, many accident victims do not seek immediate medical attention, and this could be detrimental to your personal injury claim if you do wish to seek medical compensation.

Whiplash injuries can occur at any speed. Even low-speed collisions at 5 mph can cause whiplash.

Common Symptoms of Whiplash

Injuries sustained from whiplash can range anywhere from mild to severe. Oftentimes, whiplash injuries can go unnoticed for days or even weeks or can be misdiagnosed and thus mistreated.

Car accident victims most often just assume their pain is normal and just have generalized soreness, aches, and pains from the accident and do not take their injuries seriously—they may even opt to skip a trip to the doctor’s office.

In addition to neck pain, stiffness, and reduced mobility, severe whiplash symptoms can include:

Amnesia/memory issues
Nausea
Migraines
Insomnia/sleep disruption or fatigue
Numbness in extremities
Tinnitus
Shoulder pain radiating to upper extremities
Blurred vision
Vision or hearing loss

Florida law states you have 14 days after an accident to seek medical attention or you cannot file a Personal Injury Protection (PIP) insurance claim.

Whether you have to take time off work for doctor appointments and recovery, you need compensation for lost wages or medical bills, at Mickey Keenan, P.A., we will work to ensure you get what you are entitled to after a car accident. To our Tampa, FL injury lawyers, your family is our family. Call us anytime.

Potential Long-term Effects of Whiplash

Symptoms of many whiplash injuries often manifest and intensify over time, and without proper treatment, they can cause lasting and long-term trauma tithe body. Approximately 43% of car accident victims live with chronic whiplash.

As personal injury attorneys, we know a whiplash victim’s quality of life can be greatly compromised as well as their general ability to carry out any daily activities without limitations. It’s not just physical pains following a car accident; other mental and psychological issues can occur as well, such as travel anxiety and PTSD.

Treatment for Whiplash

Depending on the severity of your whiplash injuries, treatment can vary.Many of our clients will seek care including physical therapy, chiropractic care, massage therapy, and in more severe whiplash cases surgery. Your PIP benefits help to get the treatment needed in your unique case.

After your car accident, your whiplash treatment could also include:

OTC Medication/painkillers
Injections
Bed rest
Acupuncture
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)

Contact Us for Your Personal Injury Claim

Severe whiplash injuries can cause lasting trauma and pain as well as compounding medical bills that you should not have to pay for out of pocket.

If you have been injured in a car accident and have sustained any injuries you need to immediately seek medical attention—especially within the first 24 hours—and then reach out to the experienced Florida personal injury lawyers at Mickey Keenan Law.

Work with us to have the most successful injury claim outcome. We will work hard to get you the settlement you deserve, but that you may not normally receive if you went through the insurance claim process alone. Call us for a free consultation at 813-871-1300 or schedule an appointment with a veteran personal injury lawyer.