Whiplash Pain

How to recognise whiplash pain and what to do if you're a whiplash victim
Whiplash is one of the most common road traffic injuries in the UK, making up nearly three-quarters of all claims for injury on the road every year. Every day, nearly 1,200 people claim for whiplash injury. Whiplash claims amount to £1.9billion in insurance payouts annually and also put a huge drain on NHS resources, costing the health service £8million in consultation fees alone. But what exactly is whiplash, and what should you do if you're a whiplash victim?
Whiplash occurs when the head is jerked forward and then back at a higher velocity than the torso and is most commonly caused by a low speed rear end impact. The sudden force causes damage to the soft tissue of the neck and shoulders, resulting in pain, stiffness and even blurred vision. Although not usually apparent at the time of the accident, whiplash injuries manifest after the event, often lasting for days or even weeks. In severe cases whiplash injuries can cause lasting health issues, with some sufferers bearing the consequences of a seemingly insignificant impact for years.
"Whiplash has a bit of a reputation for being an 'easy claim'," says Nicholas Jervis, managing director of specialist company 1stClaims. "The truth is that until recently, whiplash was a very hard injury to define clearly. However, modern advances in the study of this debilitating injury have made it possible to clearly define what causes whiplash pain and just how serious it can be," he adds.
The most important consideration after an accident is to seek medical attention as quickly as possible. Once you have taken down all the details of the accident (including any pictures of the crash scene), expert medical advice is of paramount importance to determine how severe any injuries are. The earlier you receive treatment, the shorter the recovery time. If you are planning to make a claim for the injury then your specialist solicitor will also want to see medical evidence to confirm the extent of your injuries. "Our team deal with hundreds of whiplash claims every year and the most important thing to us is the health and well-being of our clients," says Nicholas. "At least if the accident wasn't their fault, a claim for any injuries sustained can take the financial worry out of what can be a very stressful time," he adds.
Recent highly publicised cases have shown that whiplash injuries can cause long term health problems, even if the injury was sustained at a relatively low speed. With the advent of more detailed analysis of the causes and symptoms of whiplash claims experts believe that genuine cases will now be given the attention they deserve, whilst filtering out spurious claims should be much easier.
"The medical profession is finally taking a much more detailed look at the causes and effects of whiplash, and that can only be a good thing for victims," says Nicholas Jervis. "Anything that helps to speed up the process of justifiable compensation claims and ensuring that victims receive the treatment and compensation they deserve has to be welcomed," he concludes.