What to Do When a Car Accident Causes Whiplash

Whiplash is the most common injury incurred from a rear-end collision. Whiplash is a soft tissue injury of the neck and can also injure your spine, nerves, muscles, joints, ligaments and your brain. It’s referred to as extension-flexion injury because the head will be propelled forward in flexion, then propelled backward again in extension and may then propel forward again. This motion causes significant trauma and nearly two million people in the U.S. suffer from a whiplash injury each year. 

Signs and Symptoms When Whiplash Causes Brain Injury

A brain injury may occur when the brain is rattled against the skull during whiplash. People that incur a brain injury with whiplash may experience the following symptoms:

• Forgetfulness

• Mood swings

• Inability to concentrate

• Irritability

• Anxiety and depression

• Sensitivity to light, smells or sounds

Because an injury to the brain is not as evident as someone with a broken bone or a bleeding injury, it may go undiagnosed. It is important to seek medical care immediately following a whiplash injury as letting a brain injury go untreated may lead to long term or permanent damage. Even if you feel that you were not injured at all, you should seek medical care following a car accident as symptoms may not present themselves immediately. 

Contact a Car Accident Attorney

Do not put off contacting a car accident attorney even if your injuries appear minor as they will be experienced in helping to make sure that you have received the proper medical care and compensation for your injuries. Treatment for a brain injury can be expensive and ongoing. If this happens, you deserve maximum compensation under the law to ease any financial strains. 

The legal aspects of car accidents that cause injuries can be complex and laws vary from state to state. Consulting a personal injury attorney with experience in soft tissue injuries is the best way to obtain the settlement and financial recovery you deserve so that you can focus on your physical recovery. 

Schiff & Associates is a car accident attorney in Ohio with more than 35 years of experience in car accidents, personal injury, wrongful death and more. We offer free consultations and work with you on a contingency basis so you do not owe any legal fees unless we make a recovery for you. Contact us for help with your car accident or whiplash injury and speak with the top car accident lawyer in Ohio.