Speed Up For Safety? Crash Studies Reveal Surprising Realities Regarding Whiplash

Whiplash has long been a controversial injury, particularly when people who suffer from it attempt to protect their legal rights and recover compensation for the harm that they have suffered. We have all seen those old Hollywood parodies where an ‘injured’ person walks into a courtroom with a fake neck brace claiming that he has suffered whiplash and therefore deserves a huge verdict.

Unfortunately, years of those types of depictions have led people to generally roll their eyes with skepticism when they hear that someone suffers from whiplash. The reason that this is unfortunate is because this is an injury that is real. It’s also unfortunate because whiplash is an injury that is quite confusing, even for some medical professionals. We are still unsure of how exactly whiplash is caused, what exact parts of the body are harmed with whiplash, how to best treat it and how long it takes for someone to get past it. That makes for a situation that is extremely scary for anyone who is injured in this manner, and based on an article that describes recent studies this is an injury that continues to baffle many people.

According to one study, people who were involved in very low-speed car accidents suffered through abnormal movements in the joints of their neck despite the fact that outwardly nothing appeared to happen that could have led to a serious neck injury. The injury to these joints is what leads to whiplash and to prolonged pain and difficulty with movement. Another study that was mentioned in the article concluded that people who were involved in car accidents that occurred at approximately 10 miles per hour faced stronger forces that lead to whiplash than those who were involved in car accidents at approximately 18 miles per hour. The reason is that once speed reaches 12 miles per hour, the bumper of a vehicle begins to fold and thereby absorb some of the force that would otherwise reach a person’s neck.

Overall, whiplash is something that can be treated and managed by medical professionals, but to date there is no real cure. This makes it difficult for people who are wrongfully injured in car accidents to recover compensation for this injury because proving its existence is a challenge. In addition, casting doubt on the existence of whiplash is also something that a good defense attorney will be able to accomplish with regularity. If you or someone you love suffers from whiplash because of a car accident that was caused by the negligent or reckless driving of someone else, you need to allow experienced professionals to stand up for your legal rights. The Las Vegas car accident lawyers at High Stakes Injury Law have been successfully handling these matters for 30 years. Contact the firm today to schedule a free initial consultation.