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A Whiplash
Injury Claim Is NO BIG DEAL... Or Is It?
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Are you aware of how important your
compensation for a whiplash injury can be? Too often, a
whiplash injury claim is overlooked or is under-compensated.
It is often considered minor, but is it really? After all,
you've suffered an accident, been injured even if the injury
is 'just' whiplash.
Do you realize what a whiplash injury is?
A whiplash typically causes injury to your neck. Do you
think a neck injury is minor?
Plenty of accident claim solicitors will try to tell you a
whiplash injury won't bring much accident compensation, if
any. Do you believe them? If you do, it's because you don't
understand the long-term consequences of the injury. If
you've been in an accident and suffered, you'd better start
to understand how serious a neck injury can be. Overlook the
importance of a whiplash accident claim, and you could be in
for a very unhappy life.
15 Years Of Hell
Here's a story that will get you thinking twice about the
importance of a whiplash neck injury claim.
It was a simple matter. A car accident. She was a passenger
in her husband's car. Someone stopped suddenly in front of
him, and he rear-ended them.
The accident was technically his fault, because he should
have left more space between his car and the one in front.
But the man's wife was not at fault. She was just a
passenger, an accident victim.
The driver of the car he rear-ended apparently didn't have
appropriate accident insurance, so he left the accident
scene quickly, before the police arrived. The car wasn’t
going very fast at impact. It was rush-hour traffic.
Even so, the car engine was damaged by the accident impact,
so that was the end of the car. But no accident injuries to
the passenger or her husband, the driver. Or so they
thought.
The day after the accident, both husband and wife awoke with
stiff backs and some pain extending from the neck all the
way down the length of the spine. Accident insurance paid
for a visit to the doctor, where they were diagnosed with
'whiplash'.
Whiplash, Yeah... Whatever!
Here's where the story gets bad. The doctor said whiplash
was a minor injury and they'd recover; end of story.
But it wasn't.
Two years later, the woman developed a problem with her
wrist. It was almost as if her wrist was injured, but she'd
done nothing to cause an injury. Gradually she realized the
problem involved her shoulder as well. She developed
occasional numbness from neck to hand, for no apparent
reason.
The whiplash accident long forgotten, she tried to think of
an immediate cause of injury and couldn't find one. She went
on with her life, unaware that the numbness from neck to
hand had anything to do with the injury two years earlier.
As time went on, she developed more problems – various types
of health issues that seemed to have no apparent cause. She
still didn't think to tie any of these problems in with the
car accident from years before, and the whiplash injury the
doctor said was 'No big deal'.
Dealing With The Pain
Finally, on top of all her health problems that no one could
diagnose, she developed severe neck pain and numbness in her
head. It was worse every time she tried to drive. Even
though her back and neck felt painful as she sat behind the
steering wheel – the same way she felt after her whiplash
injury – she didn't once think about the accident that
caused the injury. After all, she believed it when her
doctor said the whiplash injury was minor, of no
consequence.
But there were consequences, serious health consequences.
Increasing disability. Trouble staying focused at her job,
because of the constant numbness from neck to hand. Pain in
her neck and shoulders every time she tired to use the
computer or tried to drive. She was afraid half the time of
getting into another accident because of the numbness,
afraid her neck problems would cause a blackout as she sat
behind the steering wheel.
The Relief
When she was finally unable to drive even down the street
with the pain in her neck, she finally went to see a new
doctor. He asked her, 'Have you ever been in a car
accident?'
She thought about it and remembered: 'Yes. Fifteen years
ago'.
'What happened?' the doctor asked.
She shrugged. 'It wasn't a big deal. I suffered a whiplash
injury'.
The doctor's eyes widened.
'What do you mean it wasn’t a big deal? Don’t you realize
the injury you suffered fifteen years ago is causing all of
your problems today?'
This is a sad story, because this woman never thought of a
whiplash compensation claim. That injury caused one problem
after another that severely impacted her ability to work and
her quality of life. The impact of the whiplash injury
continued over many years, and the problems intensified. All
because of an accident that caused whiplash.
Living With The Consequences
Over the long term, this woman was disabled by her injury.
Is that really 'no big deal', as the doctor who examined her
after the accident claimed? Shouldn't she have claimed
accident compensation for her neck injury, looking ahead to
see that she might suffer long-term consequences?
A whiplash injury is NOT minor!
It's an injury to the neck, which is a critical part of the
body. It's through the neck that all neural messages and
nutrient-giving blood cells travel to and from the brain and
the rest of the body. It can have a severe long-term impact…
and it's not necessarily apparent right away.
Your Decision
This doesn't mean all whiplash injuries will have severe
long-term consequences. But how will you know what
compensation you might be entitled to unless you consult
with a competent professional – an accident claim solicitor
who has seen the consequences of neck injury and knows
whether or not you have a valid accident claim? A claim
solicitor who can direct you to take the right steps to
handle your injury claim efficiently and fairly.
If you've suffered a whiplash neck injury, don’t just write
it off as 'no big deal'. It might be a bigger deal than you
think. Investigate your whiplash accident claim options.
Because if the day comes when your injury causes long-term
problems, and you can no longer hold a job as a result of
your accident years earlier, you will not want to be without
the compensation you were entitled to.
About the author:
by: Mumtaz Shah
It's easy to make an whiplash injury claim, if you ask! The
12 'Revolutions' were created to put all your compensation
in your pocket. Learn more at
http://www.100percent-compensation.co.uk |
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