What is Whiplash Compensation?
Monday, March 29th, 2010When it comes to car accidents, one of the most common injuries is whiplash. Whiplash is used to describe an injury to the soft tissues of the neck. In particular, whiplash occurs when the neck is forced out of its typical range of motion, leading to damaged muscles, ligaments and tendons in the neck. It may also be referred to as a neck sprain. It can sometimes take up to 12 hours for the symptoms of whiplash to become evident, so many people do not realise that they have sustained the injury during the car accident.
Symptoms of a whiplash injury include a stiff neck with associated neck pain, as well as upper back pain and headaches. It is easy to diagnose and treatment often consists of pain medication and physiotherapy to improve motion. Most people recover from whiplash after a few months of treatment, although with more severe cases, some experience neck pain for the rest of their life.
While whiplash is a relatively minor injury, those who have been injured may be able to file a personal injury claim. These claims can consider the expenses paid to have the whiplash treated, as well as loss of wages if the person was unable to work due to the injury and also, if future treatment will be required.
If the injury is mild and clears up within a few days to a week or two, it is highly unlikely that a whiplash compensation case will go forward. Most solicitors will not go forward with cases that are not guaranteed to be worth at least £1,000, which is the minimum legal amount for the courts to pay the solicitors’ fees. If the case is worth less than this amount, even if the person wins, most of the compensation will go to covering the fees of the legal representation.
