A car accident can happen in a split-second. While some car crashes in New Jersey are minor, perhaps only causing some property damage, other auto accidents result in serious injuries to those involved. Some of these injuries may include head injuries, concussions, broken bones and spinal cord injuries. One common injury a person can suffer in a car accident is whiplash.
Whiplash is a soft-tissue injury that occurs when a person’s head is violently jerked back and forth. This injury is especially common if a person is in a vehicle that is rear-ended. Whiplash can occur even in low-speed crashes.
It is important to note that sometimes symptoms of whiplash do not appear until days after the collision occurs. These injuries can include: stiffness and pain in the neck; loss of balance; headaches; dizziness; back pain; problems remembering things; and difficulty in concentrating on things. Whiplash often requires the care of a medical specialist. It is usually not an injury that can be treated by a general physician alone. A person may need to wear a neck brace, undergo physical and massage therapy and severe whiplash injuries may even require surgery.
Recovering from whiplash can take months or even years. If a whiplash injury is especially serious, the victim may be left with chronic pain that can last 10 years or more. All the expenses associated with treating and recovering from a whiplash injury can quickly mount, causing the victim to suffer financial distress on top of their physical injuries. When this happens, car accident victims will want to determine if they can hold the party that caused the crash responsible for the injuries the victim suffered.