Princeton Whiplash Attorneys
Whiplash
Whiplash is an injury that occurs when your head suddenly flies forward, pushing your neck muscles and ligaments past their normal range of motion and then quickly pulls back. It is essentially a rapid acceleration of the head, followed by a rapid deceleration. The motion is similar to the action at the end of a whip, hence the name of the injury.
Whiplash occurs when a strong force pushes your body forward when you are not expecting it or hard enough that your neck muscles cannot control the movement of your head. A rear-end car accident is a common cause of whiplash. Even at relatively low speeds, a NJ car crash can cause whiplash.
The most common symptoms of whiplash are pain and stiffness in the neck, especially in the strained and pulled muscles and ligaments. Whiplash is often seen in conjunction with concussion, as the motion of the head jolting backward and then suddenly forward causes the brain to hit the inside of the skull. Concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury that can have various short-term and long-term effects.
Headaches, dizziness, blurred vision and fatigue are all indicators of injury and concussion, and they are often seen in cases of whiplash. Other cognitive effects are also common with this type of injury, including memory problems, difficulty concentrating, irritability and trouble sleeping.
The pain from a whiplash injury can last for months after the incident, as can the cognitive difficulties that accompany concussion. Those who suffer a first traumatic brain injury, even a mild one, are more prone to future brain injuries and other neurological disorders later in life. Whiplash can cause chronic pain if joints, discs or ligaments in the neck were injured.
It is essential that you seek medical attention right away if you have been involved in traffic accident in New Jersey. Even if you think you are okay, you might not notice the pain until well after the crash because you are in shock. The second most important thing to do after seeking medical care is finding the right attorney to protect your legal rights.
If you have been in an automobile accident and suffered whiplash as a result, do not write it off as a minor injury. It can have lasting, and expensive, effects and your life, and you should be compensated for your losses. Call the Princeton car crash injury lawyers of Lependorf & Silverstein today for a free case analysis.