Your day suddenly took a turn for the worse due to an accident on your way to work. Unfortunately, the crash has left your neck feeling sore – a sign that you have suffered whiplash – and you are not sure what to do next.
Whiplash is a common car accident injury. If another driver’s negligence caused you to suffer this debilitating injury, you have the right to seek compensation for it.
What exactly is whiplash?
Whiplash refers to the various soft tissue injuries that may plague your back and neck as a result of the speedy movement of your neck back and forth during a crash. In medical circles, you may hear the following terms used to describe whiplash: soft tissue injury or cervical acceleration/deceleration.
The challenge with whiplash is that you might not even know you have suffered it right away, or you may initially think it is a minor problem. However, this type of injury can lead to painful limitations over time. Gathering important details about the accident that caused your injury, as well as details about the injury itself, may prove helpful in the event you wish to seek compensation down the road.
Information to gather
To document your whiplash injury properly, write down information regarding the location, date and time of your collision. Hopefully, you recorded the name of the driver who struck you, and took down his or her insurance information. You may also want to obtain a copy of the police’s accident report, as well as the badge number and name of the law enforcement officer who created the report.
Records to gather
Next, make sure you obtain any and all medical records related to the treatment you undergo for your whiplash. This includes records of your initial diagnosis and treatment, as well as ongoing treatment by a chiropractor or physical therapist.
All of this information will prove helpful if you decide to file a personal injury claim to seek reimbursement for the monetary damages you sustained in the car accident. A successfully fought claim may result in a monetary award that will help you to cover your whiplash-related expenses and other losses stemming from the crash.