How Whiplash Can Cause Lasting Trauma and Pain

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Whiplash is a painful injury that often occurs in car accidents. It is widely misunderstood, with many people believing that whiplash is a minor injury that doesn’t need to be checked out by a doctor. However, whiplash can cause lasting pain and limited mobility if left untreated.

Learn more about whiplash, and for more personalized advice regarding your claim, call Reeves & Mestayer at 228-374-5151.

Defining Whiplash

Whiplash happens when the head and neck experience a severe jerking motion. It can also be described as a jolt to the neck and head. Many people experience it as a strong back-and-forth motion. It is similar to the cracking of a whip, hence the name whiplash. It is very common in car accidents, particularly rear-end accidents. While some people believe that whiplash only occurs at high speeds, it is still common at low speeds.

Side Effects of Whiplash

Trying to figure out whether you’re just experiencing neck pain or whiplash can be difficult. If you suspect whiplash after a car accident, watch out for these symptoms:

  • Neck pain that does not go away with time.
  • Neck stiffness.
  • Limited range of motion in the neck.
  • Headaches that radiate from the base of the neck.
  • Tingling and numbness in your arms.
  • Pain in the shoulders and upper back.
  • Fatigue.
  • Dizziness and lightheadedness.

When Whiplash is Serious

For many people, whiplash is not a serious injury. It passes with minimal treatment and lots of rest. However, it can become serious when victims do not take whiplash seriously. People may pass on medical treatment, assuming that they can just wait out the pain. This prevents them from getting the treatment they need. Some victims wait until severe symptoms, like amnesia and nausea, have set in. At that point, you are looking at a longer road to recovery.

Treatment Options for Whiplash

Treatment options vary, depending on the severity of your case, your overall health, and your age. Some treatment options for whiplash include:

  • Rest and limited movement.
  • Switching between hot and cold compresses.
  • Medications to control pain.
  • Physical therapy.
  • Collars that limit movement.
  • Exercise.
  • Injections to treat pain.
  • Surgery, although this is typically limited to extreme cases of whiplash.

Protecting Yourself After an Accident

Knowing that whiplash can lead to ongoing pain and mobility issues for some victims, you may be wondering how to protect yourself. First, make it a priority to seek medical care after a car accident. You may feel fine or just feel a little sore, but that isn’t a reason to skip a checkup.

Some injuries take time to appear and waiting until they become obvious means wasting valuable recovery time. It’s better to get checked out and find nothing than to skip a checkup and miss a serious injury.

Second, follow your doctor’s recommended treatment plan. You may notice that both “limited movement” and “exercise” are on the treatment list above. This is because the best treatment for your injury depends on the severity of the injury and where you are in the healing process.

If you rush to get back into exercise when you should be resting, you could be causing permanent damage to your neck and upper back. If you stay in bed long after you’ve started the healing process, you could be weakening your muscles and failing to test your mobility limits. Your doctor’s personalized treatment plan is the best option for you.

Finally, hire an attorney to take care of your personal injury claim. If someone else is responsible for your injuries—and someone else usually is if you get rear-ended—they may be liable for the expenses you incur because of the accident. However, you can’t expect the liable party’s insurance company to pay a fair settlement without some pressure.

Your attorney can gather the necessary evidence and build a case proving the other party’s negligence, and then use that to begin negotiations. This helps you minimize the financial fallout of a serious injury.

Turn to Reeves & Mestayer for Help with Your Personal Injury Claim

If you’ve suffered an injury because of someone else’s mistake, you could be entitled to compensation. Let’s set up a consultation to talk about your case and your legal options. Contact Reeves & Mestayer online or give us a call at 228-374-5151 to get started.

Common Causes of On-the-Job Neck Injuries

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Neck pain is a chronic issue for many employees, regardless of industry. Neck injuries are tied to a wide range of causes, including those that may not show up for weeks, months, or even years.

Regardless of whether your injury was caused by a one-time accident or a buildup of repetitive work tasks, you may be entitled to workers’ compensation. It’s important to report your injuries promptly to your employer and pursue a workers’ comp in a timely manner. For more personalized help with your on-the-job injuries, call Reeves & Mestayer at 228-374-5151.

Car Crashes

Car accidents are an extremely common cause of all neck injuries, not just workplace injuries. The amount of force involved in a car accident can cause you to jolt forward, placing enormous pressure on your neck and spinal cord. Depending on the type of crash and how fast you were driving, you could suffer whiplash or more extensive neck injuries. Common symptoms include headaches, dizziness or faint spells, and neck stiffness. This is why it’s important to seek medical attention as soon as possible after a car accident—even if symptoms don’t occur for hours, you can get injuries diagnosed promptly and begin treatment.

Slips, Trips, and Falls

Slips, trips, and falls are another common source of neck injuries. Even if you slip and catch yourself, you could still sustain an injury. When you slip, your muscles tense in anticipation of a fall. When you don’t fall, that muscle tension can still leave you with significant neck pain. If you do fall, you may suffer vertebral fractures, whiplash, or spinal cord damage. Falls should be immediately reported to management, and you should get medical care right away.

Repetitive Motion Injuries

Stress injuries occur in many industries, primarily affecting those who perform the same work tasks every day. Consider, for example, an office worker. They may answer the phone forty times per day. To save time, they hold the phone in the crook of their neck while typing. Doing that same motion every day on the same side of your neck can lead to pinched nerves and chronic pain.

For those in more physical jobs, lifting or reaching overhead can also put strain on your neck. Unfortunately, these injuries can be more difficult to trace back to your work, since they tend to build up over a period of months or years. Rather than ignoring the initial signs of a neck injury, get prompt treatment and report the issue to management.

Poor Posture

Poor posture is a problem that plagues millions of Americans and it’s nearly impossible to fix without constant vigilance. No matter which industry you work in, your posture could be setting you up for chronic neck pain. If you sit at a desk for work, leaning forward or hunching your shoulders puts a lot of force on your neck. The same is true for those who lift without using safe lifting techniques or those who stand at a manufacturing line all day. Many companies now automate these tasks whenever possible or allow employees to use ergonomic equipment.

Falling Objects

Falling objects can leave employees with head and neck injuries. These injuries are especially common in retail settings, warehouses, and construction sites.

If you are hurt while working, you may be entitled to workers’ compensation to cover your medical expenses and part of your lost wages. If another party is involved in your accident, you may also be able to pursue a third-party claim.

For example, if you sustained a neck injury in a car accident caused by another driver, you may have a valid personal injury claim if the other driver is not employed by your company. To discuss your case in greater detail and figure out which options suit you, it is important to talk to an attorney with extensive experience in workers’ compensation cases and personal injury claims.

Discuss Your Workplace Injury with Reeves & Mestayer

At Reeves & Mestayer, we understand the stress that comes with workplace accidents. Not only do you have to worry about the cost of medical care; you may also suddenly find yourself without income. We’ll help you fight for the compensation you are due. Take the first step now by calling us at 228-374-5151 or contacting our team online.

Understanding the Discovery Process in a Personal Injury Case

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While most personal injury claims settle before they ever reach a courtroom, there are exceptions. Roughly 5% of personal injury cases do go to court, and if yours is one of them, you’ll want to be familiar with the discovery process.

If you have suffered injuries because of someone else’s negligence and you’re wondering if you’re entitled to compensation, let us help. Call Reeves & Mestayer at 228-374-5151 to set up a consultation and discuss your options.

What is Discovery?

Discovery is part of the pre-trial preparation process. This allows both sides to gather all the information and evidence they need to build their case. This often involves requesting information or documentation from the other side, from proof of the accident to evidence of damages. Depending on the circumstances of the case, your lawyer may use some or all of these discovery tools to build the most solid case possible.

Interrogatories

Through interrogatories, attorneys on both sides can get a thorough understanding of what happened. One side provides the other party with a list of written questions. The other party must respond to these questions honestly and fully. Some of the topics that might be covered in an interrogatory include:

  • Retelling of the accident
  • Information about witnesses and expert witnesses who will be called in
  • Information regarding other people who may be responsible for the accident
  • Information on damages
  • Insurance coverage information

Document Requests

While an individual’s answers are helpful, you also need concrete evidence to build a claim. That’s why lawyers request a wide range of documents to prove or disprove certain claims and allegations. During this stage of the discovery process, attorneys may request medical bills, medical records, repair estimates, police reports, photographic evidence of the crime scene, and paystubs showing time spent away from work. All of this evidence goes to highlight the severity of the accident and the damages suffered by victims.

Request for Admissions

The more evidence you have, the easier it is to build a clear understanding of what actually happened in the accident. As your attorney starts to get a picture of what occurred, they’ll be able to narrow down specific allegations against the other party. During the request for admissions, the attorneys give a list of allegations to the other side. The other side is requested to admit or deny each claim. This can help your attorney focus on disputed claims, rather than spending time and energy on admitted claims.

Depositions

Depositions require parties involved in the case and witnesses to answer questions under oath. Depositions are recorded either via a court reporter or on video. The answers gained during a deposition can help your attorney focus their case even more.

Even if your case goes through the discovery process, you may still never see the inside of a courtroom. Personal injury cases can settle at any time, and in fact, the discovery process often brings truths to light that make it more appealing for the other side to settle. The discovery process can often be used to push the other side to settle, even if they initially resisted it.

Benefits of an Attorney

Hiring the right attorney during your personal injury claim can help you feel more confident and supported during this process. Discovery can be time-consuming and nerve-racking, but if you have an attorney with substantial experience and a knack for putting insurance companies on the spot, you’ll know that your claim is in good hands.

This is particularly important when you have a claim that has failed to settle during negotiations. This often indicates an insurance company with strong evidence or a vested interest in keeping you from getting full and fair compensation. When this is the case and you risk losing everything, you need an attorney who knows exactly what pieces of evidence to look for, what strengths the other side has, and what it will take to get a fair settlement for you.

Find Out How Reeves & Mestayer Can Help

If you have been hurt because of someone else’s negligence, you shouldn’t be left holding the financial burden on your own. A personal injury claim may help you get the compensation you are entitled to. To talk about your case in greater detail and make a plan, call Reeves & Mestayer at 228-374-5151 or contact us online.