Cars continue to get safer and safer, but even minor accidents can still result in major injuries. Auto manufacturers have done a good job installing safety features that protect our heads, necks and chests, but one area that can be tough to protect due to its location relative to our body is our necks. Coming to a quick stop can lurch your neck forward, while getting rear-ended can result in your head and neck thrusting backwards.
These high energy movements can injure our cervical discs or the soft tissues of the neck. When this happens, it is known as a whiplash injury. Whiplash injuries are fairly common in automobile accidents, and it’s a type of injury we have a lot of experience working with. Today, we take a closer look at whiplash injuries and how to get compensation for these injuries in Minnesota.
Symptoms of Whiplash
Whiplash injuries can stem from a variety of different specific injuries, so their symptoms can vary. For example, a whiplash injury can occur as a result of a strain of the soft tissues around the neck, a shift of a vertebral disc or a compression of a nearby nerve. These all result in different types of symptoms, but in general common whiplash symptoms include:
- Neck pain
- Loss in range of motion
- Neck or shoulder stiffness
- Radiating pain
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Localized or radiating numbness
- Difficulty concentrating or sleeping
Some of these issues go away after a couple of days once the muscle injury heals, and you may not feel like making an injury claim. For more serious injuries that linger or for those that require medical treatment, you should consider filing for compensation.
Compensation for Whiplash in Minnesota
If you were in an automobile accident and suffered a whiplash injury, one of the first things you’ll want to do is to get a diagnosis from a medical professional. This is especially true with whiplash injuries, because symptoms may not develop right away due to the type of injury you suffered or because of the adrenaline masking the pain after the accident. Make sure you inform your doctor of your accident and your intent to file a claim, as they may make notes in their system that can help your claim down the road should they be asked for their input on your injuries.
Next, you’ll want to contact an injury firm like Hey Workers. Filing an injury claim can be a pain in the neck, and since you’re already literally dealing with a pain in your neck, let us handle the complexities of the injury case. We’ll begin by reviewing your medical diagnosis, contacting accident witnesses, reviewing police reports and making ourselves as familiar with your situation as possible. From there, we’ll put together a comprehensive claim that clearly shows your right to maximum compensation. We’ll handle filing all the forms and dealing with the insurance companies while you focus on recovering.
If the settlement offer from the insurance company is too low, we’ll take your case before a judge and continue to work to get you the compensation we believe you deserve. We’ll be with you every step of the way until your claim is finished. For more information on whiplash or other car accident-related injuries, reach out to Hey Workers today.
