Whiplash, a type of soft tissue injury that primarily affects the neck, affects more than 3 million Americans every year. While it can resolve on its own in many cases, half of all whiplash injury victims will suffer chronic pain for the rest of their lives. Many things - including sports injuries and falls - can cause whiplash. However, car accidents are the most common reason people suffer from whiplash.
When you’re involved in a car accident, particularly a rear-end collision, your head may snap back and forth rapidly at the force of impact. This whip-like motion can overextend the soft tissues in your neck, upper back, and shoulders. The results can be painful, debilitating, and costly.
If you’ve suffered whiplash because of a car accident in New Mexico, it’s important to evaluate your legal options, especially if someone else caused the crash. You may reserve the right to demand compensation for the costs and consequences of your whiplash injury, including your medical expenses, diminished earning capacity, disability, rehabilitation, and pain and suffering. Consulting with an experienced Albuquerque personal injury attorney is advised.
Is Whiplash a Serious Injury?
While some cases of whiplash can be mild and heal on their own over time, it is a debilitating injury for many car accident victims. In fact, research suggests that between 15 and 40 percent of car accident victims who suffer a whiplash injury struggle with chronic pain for the rest of their lives.
One study even found that half of all people who suffered whiplash injuries in a car accident struggled with chronic pain 20 years after they were initially injured.
Chronic pain can significantly impair a crash victim’s ability to work and participate in their lives. Studies also show that whiplash injury victims who experience chronic pain are more likely than others to suffer from behavioral and/or psychological disorders like depression, anxiety, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. So, yes, whiplash - often thought to be a relatively minor car accident injury - has the potential to be quite serious.
What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Whiplash?
Some car accident injuries will be evident right away. Whiplash, however, can be more difficult to diagnose. Signs and symptoms of whiplash may not manifest immediately. It might take hours or days to notice that you’ve suffered a whiplash injury after a car accident in New Mexico.
Some of the most common signs of whiplash include:
- Chronic headaches, often beginning at the base of the skull
- Stiffness in the neck and back
- Limited range of motion in the shoulders and/or arms
- Shooting pains down the neck, shoulders, and arms
- Tingling or numbness in the fingers
- Tenderness or pain in the neck and shoulders
- Dizziness
- Fatigue
- Difficulty sleeping
- Confusion
- Blurred vision
- Tinnitus
- Vertigo
- Memory loss
- Muscle weakness
Don’t wait until you experience symptoms to seek medical treatment after a car accident in New Mexico. Even low-impact collisions at speeds not exceeding 5 or 10 MPH can cause a whiplash injury. The longer you wait to seek care, the more likely it is that you may suffer complications or exacerbate your whiplash injury.
How Are Whiplash Injuries Treated After a Car Accident?
It depends on how serious the whiplash injury is. Whiplash is graded on a scale of 0 to 4 based on the victim’s symptoms.
- Grade 0: no physical signs of injury or complaints of pain
- Grade 1: no physical signs of injury, but complaints of stiffness, tenderness, or pain in the victim’s neck
- Grade 2: musculoskeletal signs of trauma, such as tenderness and decreased range of motion, as well as signs of neck pain
- Grade 3: neurological signs of trauma and complaints of neck pain
- Grade 4: complaints of pain accompanied by a physical fracture or dislocation injury
Like other types of soft tissue injuries, rest, ice, and time are the most common course of treatment for minor whiplash injuries.
As whiplash injuries become more severe, it’s more likely that a victim will be treated with:
- Over-the-counter pain medications
- Prescription pain medications, muscle relaxants, and anti-inflammatory medications
- Physical therapy and rehabilitation
- Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation
- Steroid injections
- Lidocaine injections
- Foam collars to stabilize the neck
Acupuncture and chiropractic care have also been used to treat whiplash from car accidents in New Mexico.
How Can I Get Compensation For a Whiplash Injury After a New Mexico Car Accident?
If someone else caused your car accident, you can file a legal claim against them (or their insurance company) to hold them accountable for your whiplash injury and related damages, which might include costs of medical care, lost wages, disability, and emotional distress.
Winning your car accident claim will hinge on your ability to prove that the other driver’s negligence caused your car accident and the resulting whiplash injury.
Evidence that can be helpful in proving that you suffered whiplash in the collision can include:
- Medical records from after the crash, including diagnostic tests documenting your whiplash injury and a prescribed course of treatment
- Expert testimony from accident reconstructionists, forensics specialists, and medical professionals who can all attest to the fact that your collision would be likely to cause whiplash, especially if it was a rear-end collision
- Photographs of damaged property, such as damage to the front or rear of your vehicle
- Video footage of the car accident from red light cameras, dash cams, and other surveillance cameras near the scene of the wreck
- Eyewitness statements
Don’t stress out about how to navigate a personal injury claim or what evidence can help you win compensation for your whiplash injury. Take it day by day and just focus on getting better. Trust an experienced New Mexico car accident attorney to invest the resources and experience necessary to win your case and maximize your recovery.
Call Singleton Schreiber For Help If You’ve Suffered Whiplash in a New Mexico Car Accident
Whiplash injury victims in Albuquerque, Los Lunas, Ruidoso, and across the state of New Mexico trust Singleton Schreiber after life-changing auto accidents. We’re local lawyers with access to national resources, which sets the stage for top-tier results every time we take a case.
Our case results, which include more than $3 billion in damages, are a testament to our client-driven legal representation and drive for success. Now, our award-winning team is ready to fight to make your whiplash injury case successful, too.
We offer a free consultation. Call one of our Albuquerque car accident attorneys to discuss your whiplash injury claim today.
