Car accidents are all too common on the streets of Atlanta. Just about every day, major wrecks occur that can cause significant injury to drivers and other accident victims. One of the hardest types of injuries to detect in these individuals is a neck injury. While a car accident victim’s neck may not hurt for the first few hours or even days after their crash, the symptoms of a serious neck injury could appear after this delay.
The risk of delayed symptoms should encourage anyone who has been involved in a car accident to seek an immediate physical evaluation from a medical professional. During your doctor’s visit, you can describe the circumstances of your crash, which can point your physician towards certain tests that can either identify or rule out a significant neck injury.
Getting medical treatment as soon as possible reduces the risk that your condition worsens. It also improves your chances of recovering compensation for the medical costs of your treatment from any at-fault drivers. An Atlanta car accident attorney can assist you with this personal injury claim, including helping you get the right medical documentation to prove you have a neck injury caused by your accident.
What Types of Car Accidents Can Cause a Neck Injury or Whiplash
A neck injury occurs any time the head or neck is jerked suddenly, causing a strain on the sensitive muscles, tendons, and nerve endings found in the upper spine. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), the injury commonly called “whiplash” occurs when this type of injury affects the soft tissue of the neck.
The degree of damage resulting from a whiplash or neck injury can vary, but damage to the joints between your spine’s vertebrae are among the most devastating. NINDS also reports that, “discs, and ligaments, cervical muscles, and nerve roots,” can also be affected by the sudden trauma to the neck.
Car accidents are the most common cause of these types of injuries. Statistics show that well over a third of neck and spine injuries are related to vehicular incidents.
Any type of vehicle impact is enough to cause sudden head jerking that can result in a neck sprain, a cervical strain, a neck hyperextension injury, or any other type of soft tissue neck injury. After all, the average head weighs 11 to 12 pounds, so sudden movement can swing this weight around, especially during the impacts felt in a car crash.
Rear-end collisions are the most dangerous type of these accidents because they cause sudden force from behind that can “whip” the head back, and then forward again. Whiplash injuries can even occur during rear impacts with speeds lower than 14 mph.
Symptoms of Whiplash or Neck Injuries after a Car Accident
The symptoms of a neck injury or whiplash can be very subtle, especially while your body is still recovering from the shock of being hit. Over time, you may notice small symptoms that develop and worsen.
Common symptoms of whiplash and neck injury include:
- Neck stiffness or pain
- Wincing pain felt during certain neck movements
- Reduced range of motion for your head and neck
- Referred pain in the shoulders, arm, or upper back
- Recurring headaches
- Tingling or numbness, especially in the fingers or arms
- Fatigue
- Dizziness
- Trouble sleeping
- Blurred vision or visual spots
- Difficulty concentrating
- Ringing of the ears (tinnitus)
Filing a Personal Injury Claim with Help from an Atlanta Car Accident Attorney
If you have recently been in a car accident and have neck pain or a diagnosed whiplash injury, then do not hesitate to start your personal injury case today. You can receive a free consultation and case review from experienced Atlanta car accident lawyers.
Contact LawyerUp now to schedule your free, no-obligation consultation today.