Skip to main content

Personal Injury: What Is Whiplash?

Whiplash – Car Accident Injury

Neck injuries occur frequently in car accidents. When your vehicle stops suddenly or takes impact from another vehicle, your body jolts in a way that puts strain on your neck and spine. This strain creates whiplash injuries, in which your head moves separately from the rest of your body and injures the neck.

Unfortunately, the full impact of this kind of injury does not set in right away. It might begin with soreness; in fact, you may not even feel it until your adrenaline subsides hours or days after the accident. This is one reason you should seek treatment after a car accident even if you do not feel an obvious injury.

How Whiplash Affects You

When your vehicle collides with another, your neck moves back and then forward, much like the motion of a cracking whip. This movement, from a stationary position, jolts your neck out of alignment. It may not be immediately apparent, but this impact on your body can lead to several other problems:

  • muscle weakness and pain
  • chronic pain in your body
  • headaches
  • blurred vision
  • mental lapses

These settle in over time. While many other injuries require only rest and recovery time, getting treated for whiplash helps stem the tide of these effects and helps you recover faster.

Recovering Damages

Besides avoiding further complications, a medical diagnosis of whiplash can help you recover damages for the car accident injury you have sustained. The longer you wait, the more difficult the diagnosis, and the harder it becomes to get compensated for your medical care, any lost work wages, and other monetary losses that stem from the injury.

After sustaining a car accident injury, you should sit down with a Wisconsin personal injury attorney at Eisenberg Law Offices. We will help you understand your rights after your injury, help steer you toward proper care, and work hard to get you the compensation you deserve.