Car accidents cause thousands of neck injuries in the United States each year, but why are these types of injuries so common, and what can you do if sustained a neck injury in a car accident? We answer these and several other commonly asked questions.
Why Do Neck Injuries in Car Accidents Occur So Often?
Although your body is restrained by a seat belt, your head and neck aren’t. When a vehicle sustains impact, the neck not only moves freely but can do so violently. It’s this combination of unrestricted yet sudden movement that can result in neck injury.
What Is Whiplash?
Whiplash is caused when the neck jerks backward and forward suddenly. This causes the neck’s connective tissues, nerves, muscles, and ligaments to sustain damage due to tearing and straining.
Typically, whiplash is caused by rear-end collisions. The symptoms of whiplash from a car accident may or may not be immediately evident. However, the earlier treatment can be received, the shorter the recovery time will be.
Any of the following symptoms can indicate whiplash. If you experience the following symptoms, contact your doctor as soon as possible:
- Dizziness
- Fatigue
- Arm tingling and numbness
- Worsening pain with neck movement
- Headaches
- Depression
- Memory problems
- Blurred vision
- Tinnitus
In addition to whiplash, there are other injuries that can occur as the result of car accidents.
Joint and Disc Injuries
Spinal joints can become irritated and inflamed as the result of impact in a car accident. Their range of motion and movement can also decrease when surrounding ligaments become damaged.
High-speed crashes can also cause slipped or herniated discs. These discs can slip out of place during impact, causing spinal cord nerves to compress and become pinched. Pinched nerve symptoms include numbness, tingling, and weakness in upper extremities, shoulders, and neck.
Fracture
Neck fractures will cause immediate and painful symptoms. This is a significant injury, so movement should only occur with medical assistance. Otherwise, you risk spinal cord injury or paralysis.
What to Do if You Sustained a Neck Injury in a Car Accident
Whether you’re experiencing any of the above car accident neck injury symptoms or not, it’s important to be examined and treated as soon as possible. Neck injury complications can be both short- and long-term. These can cause a great degree of pain and loss in a range of motion, which can lead to the inability to work or enjoy life.
You Can Get Monetary Compensation in Court
The best way to get a car accident neck injury settlement amount is to have an experienced Houston car accident lawyer on your side in court. Schechter, Schaffer & Harris have a combined 100 years of trial experience and can get you the compensation you deserve. Discover why we are still one of Texas’s top law firms. Visit us online to claim your free case evaluation.
