Whiplash Injury Compensation Claims

The most common form of personal injury from a car accident rear end collision is the injury to the neck commonly referred to as “whiplash”.

The term “whiplash” is used to describe the movement of the neck in certain types of vehicle collisions. Whiplash occurs commonly in car accidents involving rear end collisions or vehicles coming to a sudden halt as a result of a collision or emergency braking. Whiplash can also occur from rapid acceleration and contact sports, such as rugby.

The head, neck and spine will often be jolted forward and backwards in a whipping and lashing type motion which can cause damage to the soft tissue structures of the spine such as neck muscles, ligaments and in some cases intervertebral discs.

The term whiplash is a term commonly used by people involved in these types of collisions and in many cases a whiplash injury is thought to comprise a very minor injury.

Common Whiplash Injuries

Unfortunately, many people who have been involved in these types of collisions and suffered a personal injury as a result of the whiplash (flexion/extension) type movement caused by such a collision, will tell you that the symptoms suffered as a result of these injuries are anything but minor.

Common whiplash symptoms can include pain and neck stiffness, headaches and in some instances referred pain through the arms and legs or even nerve pain in more serious cases of spinal whiplash injuries. Whiplash symptoms can be severe, debilitating and protracted. If you’ve been involved in a car accident and believe you have a whiplash injury, we recommend you seek medical treatment immediately.

The symptoms from a soft tissue injury to the spine are of an unpredictable nature and often require the injured person to book a consultation with a medical professional and seek medical attention.

Thankfully many people don’t experience serious injuries or a permanent disability and make a quick recovery following a whiplash injury. Often they are able to go back to their normal lives with minimal inconvenience.

Unfortunately some people find the symptoms caused by the injury to the soft tissue structures of their spine as a result of whiplash to cause prolonged symptoms such as chronic neck pain which are resistant to treatment, affect their ability to work, result in lost income and lost earnings, affect all aspects of their day to day life, and linger for many months if not years.

Some car accident injuries take time to develop and in worst cases, people may never make a full recovery from the symptoms of these types of injuries caused by car accidents. If you’ve been involved in a car accident, we recommend you seek treatment as soon as possible.

The time needed to recover from a soft tissue injury to the spine caused by a whiplash mechanism is unpredictable.

Many factors may be responsible for this including, age, general health condition and fitness. Some people find treatment such as physiotherapy helpful while others find physiotherapy of no assistance. Even the medical profession find it hard to predict recovery rates and outcomes when dealing with a whiplash injury.

In some cases the recovery time for a whiplash injury may be very quick and in others a person may take months if not years to recover.

Whiplash itself is not a term used to describe an injury to the back, spine or neck pain as a result of being injured in a motor vehicle accident or road accident.

Whiplash describes the mechanism of forces placed on the spine and how the spine moves in sudden impact motor vehicle accidents.
Consequently there is no need to prove that you have suffered a whiplash injury or “whiplash injuries” but rather that you have suffered some sort of injury responsible for the symptoms that you are experiencing.

After a consultation, most doctors will accept that you have suffered an injury to your neck, body or back as a result of a sudden impact collision (such as car accidents) in the event that you commence suffering whiplash symptoms within a short period of time following the accident.

In some instances radiological investigations such as x-rays, CT scans and/or MRI scans may show specific damage to the spine location including bulging or herniated spinal discs which may have been caused by severe impact collisions.

In many cases the radiological scans will not show any obvious damage of a spinal injury.

In any case involving personal injury as a result of a car accident it is necessary to provide medical evidence, such as a medical report or the medical opinion from a qualified expert medical practitioner, to prove your injuries.

The expert legal team of personal injury Lawyers at Bradford Legal have been doing so on behalf of injured car accident victims for well over 20 years.

Our whiplash injury compensation Lawyers have the skills, advice, experience and expertise to assist you in proving you have suffered a whiplash injury and help you to proceed with your whiplash claim or motor vehicle compensation claim. Our expert whiplash compensation claims team will guide you through the process and work for the compensation amount you deserve, giving you time to focus on recovering from injuries sustained.

In the event that you have suffered any type of injury, such as a neck injury in a car accident, we recommend you seek legal advice from a qualified whiplash compensation Lawyer as strict time limits apply.

Bradford Legal’s experienced whiplash compensation Lawyers are able to guide you through your compensation claim, provide advice and assist with all aspects of the whiplash claims process as you seek compensation for your personal injuries.

Once the Insurance Commission of Western Australia (“ICWA”) has been notified that you intend to make a whiplash claim they will determine whether they are liable for your injuries.

ICWA is only liable for injuries caused as a result of negligent driving of a motor vehicle. If the accident is solely your fault as the driver then you will not have a compensation claim unless you have suffered a catastrophic injury, however if the accident has been caused even partly by the fault of another driver, then you may be able to claim compensation in respect of your injuries.

Bradford Legal personal injury claims Lawyers are able to provide advice and assist you not only with the whiplash claims process but with guiding you through your treatment and recovery and ultimately achieving a lump sum compensation settlement outcome for you to minimise the damaging effect of your injury on your day to day life.

There is no whiplash compensation average payout or set amounts of compensation for any particular injury suffered in a motor vehicle accident, including a whiplash injury claim.

The compensation amount should compensate whiplash sufferers for losses caused by injuries such as:

a) your pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life and loss of amenities of life;

b) economic loss, any loss of income and any potential future loss of income;

c) any reasonable medical expenses and any potential future medical expenses based on the medical evidence provided; and

d) any needs created for you by the accident including the need for help either of a personal nature or for assistance with activities that you can no longer carry out by yourself or for yourself;

e) any other expenses arising directly as a result of the injuries to your body.

Some of the compensation (usually referred to as damages) you may be entitled to is limited or otherwise affected by the Motor Vehicle (3rd Party Insurance) Act.

Expert Whiplash Injury Claim & Personal Injury Lawyers

If you have been involved in a motor vehicle accident that has caused an injury, we highly suggest you seek legal advice immediately. The personal injury lawyers at Bradford Legal have expertise in advising you as to what your whiplash injury claim is worth and provide expert legal representation.

The Lawyers at Bradford Legal will assist you with all aspects of your whiplash injury claim including advising you as to a reasonable amount of compensation and pursuing the maximum compensation outcome for you using all of their considerable experience and expertise acquired over many years of assisting car accident victims in their legal claim.

Leading Personal Injury Law Firm

Bradford Legal are ranked as a leading law firm in Plaintiff motor vehicle accident injury compensation law in Western Australia, reflective of our ability to successfully represent you and obtain the best possible compensation outcome: https://doylesguide.com/leading-motor-vehicle-accident-compensation-law-firms-plaintiff-western-australia-2019/

Get Help With Your Whiplash Injury Compensation Claim

If you have been involved in a car accident caused by another party, sustained whiplash and want to claim whiplash injury compensation, contact the expert contact the expert whiplash injury claim lawyers at Bradford Legal for a free initial consultation. Our expert personal injury claim Lawyers will fight for the whiplash compensation you deserve.