Car accidents can cause various injuries, including broken bones, injuries to internal organs, or bruising. Most injuries seem obvious immediately, but others may take time to show symptoms. Whiplash injuries aren’t always apparent right after a car crash.
If a negligent driver has injured you, you are entitled to compensation for the loss they caused. If you’re recovering from whiplash, call the Staver Accident Injury Lawyers, P.C., to help you recover the maximum damages available.
Call (312) 236-2900 to schedule your consultation.
What Is Whiplash?
In a car accident, extreme forces could jolt your body around. You could suffer whiplash when your head and neck are moved back and forth violently. This is common after rear-end collisions, but whiplash can happen in other accidents besides car crashes.
Whiplash is also known as a cervical strain. The bones in the spine supporting your head are called the cervical spine, vertebrae C1 through C7. These bones protect the spinal column and its nerves. Any damage there could cause nerve damage, affecting other body parts.
What Kind of Accidents Can Cause Whiplash in Chicago?
Although whiplash is not exclusive to car accidents, you will likely experience whiplash after a crash. Whiplash is possible even at moderate speeds. Any time your neck is jolted unexpectedly, you could experience cervical strain.
Common accidents that cause whiplash include:
Whiplash Symptoms after a Car Crash
Whiplash symptoms could appear immediately after a car accident. During a crash, however, your body will probably produce adrenaline and cortisol, masking the pain. Once those hormones leave your system, you’ll likely start to feel the whiplash symptoms.
Some of these symptoms include:
- Dizziness
- Fatigue
- Headaches, mainly at the base of your skull
- Loss of range of motion in the neck
- Neck pain and stiffness
- Tenderness or pain in the shoulder, upper back, or arms
- Tingling or numbness in the arms
- Worsening pain with neck movement
In extreme whiplash cases, some victims also experience blurry vision, tinnitus, trouble sleeping, irritability, difficulty concentrating, memory problems, and depression.
Diagnosing Whiplash Injuries after a Car Accident
You should seek treatment after a car crash as soon as possible. A medical provider will identify symptoms you may overlook. You may need a follow-up appointment if your whiplash symptoms aren’t immediately apparent.
During your appointment, a doctor or other health specialist will ask questions to see your symptoms’ severity. They will examine your range of motion, how pain affects it, and your reflexes.
Although your whiplash won’t appear on imaging tests, a doctor could order one to rule out other conditions affecting you. These tests include X-Rays, computerized tomography (CT) scans, or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Treating Whiplash Injuries
While you can recover from some minor whiplash cases in time, you could require treatment in more severe cases.
You could be prescribed rest, over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs, or icing and heating for minor cases. Your doctor may prescribe physical or massage therapy, use of a neck brace, and stretching exercises if they feel your condition is severe enough.
Even with treatment, you may have lingering effects long after your accident.
What Kind of Compensation is Available in a Chicago Whiplash Case?
Under Illinois law, pursuing compensation from someone whose negligent or reckless behavior injured you is possible.
Illinois drivers are required to carry insurance. Often called “25/50/20” coverage, they should have a minimum liability level to cover $25,000 per person in injury or death in a crash, $50,000 in total injury or death liability coverage, and $20,000 in vehicle or property damage. These values represent the maximum the insurer will pay for minimum coverage.
Illinois is an at-fault state, so the driver that caused the accident is responsible for paying for your injuries and losses. You will file a claim with their insurer.
You can recover compensation for your economic and non-economic losses. Economic losses are the out-of-pocket expenses you pay for treatment, lost wages, or car repair. For instance, if your doctor ordered an imaging test, you could pursue compensation from the at-fault driver for those tests.
Non-economic losses are conceptual damages. You could ask for compensation for the mental anguish the crash caused or the loss of consortium.
Proving Your Accident Caused Your Whiplash
It might seem obvious to you that the accident caused your whiplash symptoms, but to successfully recover compensation, you’ll need undeniable proof.
Insurance companies operate for profit. They won’t make money by paying for each claim that’s filed. Most companies will challenge your claim by saying your injuries came from another event or that your damages aren’t as severe as you claim.
You’ll need to prove the crash caused your injuries. You can use photographs taken at the scene, police reports, and witness statements to show the other driver caused the crash. You can use your medical documents, doctors’ statements, and bills to prove your injuries’ severity. You can also use witness statements to show how the whiplash has affected your daily life.
How a Chicago Personal Injury Attorney Can Help You
Whether dealing with an insurance claim or pondering a lawsuit to help you recover, you shouldn’t have to work through it alone. Working with legal specifics while physically recovering can lead to stress, which could delay healing.
A Chicago personal injury attorney can direct you as you make legal decisions, advise you on your options, and help you build your case. They’ll investigate your crash, find similar cases to determine your case’s value, and help you file the necessary paperwork. An experienced personal injury lawyer will know how to handle an insurance company’s tactics, and they will know when a case should go to trial to get you maximum compensation.
Call a Chicago Whiplash Lawyer Today
The whiplash attorneys with Staver Accident Injury Lawyers, P.C., are ready to hear your case and help you find a solution. We understand how traumatic a car accident can be and how stressful recovering afterward is. We know you shouldn’t try to handle this alone. Getting legal support is one of the best ways to ensure you receive the money you need to recover.
Our Chicago car accident lawyers have decades of experience helping clients like you get compensation for their injuries. Each case is unique, but we’re ready to hear your needs and work with you to address them. We don’t get paid unless you win, so we prioritize you.
Call (312) 236-2900 for a consultation, or schedule one using our online contact form.
