Back injuries resulting from low-impact car accidents
Fender benders, or low-impact auto accidents, happen often. However, this doesn’t mean they can’t result in significant injuries. Head and neck injuries can sometimes take days or weeks to show symptoms following the incident. For example, although signs of a traumatic brain injury are tied to serious medical problems, they may not always be evident.
A driver could collide with a car leaving a parking space, slam into the automobile in front of it at an intersection, or even rear-end the car in front of it at a stop sign. The passengers aren’t usually so fortunate, even in cases where the vehicles sustain relatively little physical damage. Serious injuries can occur to drivers and passengers even in low-impact collisions.
Sometimes, the injuries from relatively low-speed hits might be so severe that surgery is necessary. In some, a moderate incidence of whiplash gets better with time and care. Anyone who has been hurt in an accident of this kind understands how incapacitating injuries may be, yet insurance companies frequently contest the severity of medical conditions because of the relatively minor damage involved. It may be necessary for accident victims to hire a car accident attorney to battle for the money they require to heal.
Car accident upper back and neck pain
Even at moderate speeds, motor vehicle accidents can result in a range of cervical and neck injuries. One of the most frequent injuries that a driver or passenger may experience is whiplash. It frequently occurs when a car hits someone in the back from behind while they are still. The abrupt low impact car accident can lead to hyperextension of the neck. The head and neck slide back while the seat forces the occupant’s midsection forward. As they heal, the head and neck subsequently go into hyperflexion.
Car accidents frequently result in neck injuries that go beyond simple discomfort. Automobile accident patients may have arm pain, numbness, and weakness due to a herniated disk in the cervical region. A diskectomy—a surgical procedure to remove the damaged disk—might be required if this condition does not improve. To stabilize a person’s spine, a surgical fusion may also be required in some circumstances.
Why low-impact accidents result in back injuries
Because there may not be any noticeable physical damage to the cars in low-impact collisions, insurance companies may claim that the back injuries are overstated based on the absence of visible damage. But neurosurgeons and orthopedic surgeons frequently have to care for patients who have had catastrophic injuries in low-speed collisions. Studies verify that low-impact incidents might cause serious cervical damage.
The reason stems from the very definition of whiplash, which is caused by abrupt changes in speed or direction. In a low-speed collision, an individual’s head may accelerate more quickly than the car. Research indicates that in low-speed crashes, the vehicle’s peak acceleration is at least 2.5 times faster than the vehicle’s peak acceleration. Because of this, neck injuries can occur even in situations where the car has little to no damage.
What Should Whiplash Victims Do?
It may be difficult for victims of low-impact accidents to get the just compensation they need to heal if they sustain severe and permanent neck injuries. Securing damages for their medical costs, lost wages, and pain and suffering may prove to be quite challenging in the absence of competent legal assistance.
Hiring a knowledgeable personal injury lawyer is essential in situations such as these. Lawyers with experience and a proven track record of winning claims involving severe injuries brought on by low-impact collisions are skilled at building compelling arguments and negotiating just compensation. They employ skilled biomechanical and reconstructive professionals along with medical doctors to determine the cause of the damage sustained in the accident.
