Neck Injuries Resulting From Automobile Collisions
Those who have been unlucky enough to be caught in a serious traffic accident in the past will know instinctively that avoiding injury is very difficult, especially at the speeds encountered on our modern day roadways. Whether a car or commercial trucking wreck takes place on an interstate, beltway or rural route, there is no doubt that injuries are bound to occur when a negligent driver creates a serious accident situation that is unavoidable.
As a Maryland personal injury law firm, the professional staff at Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers, understands that many auto, truck and motorcycles collisions are the simple, yet tragic result of one driver’s thoughtless or careless actions. Being the innocent party in a negligence-based traffic accident is hardly any real consolation for the victims who are left to face days or weeks of hospital care and maybe months thereafter of physical rehabilitation.
Some people never recover fully from the serious injuries sustained in a typical Maryland or Washington, D.C., car or commercial trucking crash. There are those who end up with chronic and painful aftereffects of their initial bodily injuries following a crash. As Baltimore-based attorneys, we understand that most any roadway accident has the potential for some bad results. Cuts and bruises will likely heal over time, thought the scars may be significant; but some neck, back and head injuries can leave a person with a lifetime of pain and discomfort.
While spinal cord damage and traumatic closed-head injuries tend to find their way into the headlines, certain neck injuries can be just as debilitating, at least from the standpoint of pain. There is no argument that a brain injury is more serious than any lesser soft tissue injury, but that does not mean that a victim should discount their pain and suffering simply because it may not seem “bad enough” to file a personal injury claim.
Take, for instance, the oft-cited “whiplash” injury received by many victims of rear-end car and truck collisions. For those unfamiliar with the word, whiplash is more of an umbrella term used to describe a range of neck-related injuries. These injuries, which mostly involve soft tissue damage to a portion of the victim’s neck, are quite common when one vehicle slides into the back end of another. Even low-speed fender-bender accidents have been known to result in cases of whiplash.
At Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers, we are well aware of the circumstances that can lead to a whiplash injury. We also know that quite often the presence of other more serious injuries, such as lacerations, broken bones, and even internal injuries can often cause medical personnel to overlook the whiplash component of the victim’s auto-related injuries.
Quite simply, when a car is rear-ended by another vehicle or large commercial truck, the impact propels the occupants’ bodies forward while their heads tend to remain relatively stationary in space. This differential in body motion versus that of the victim’s head can expose the neck to a sudden and extreme extension or flexion mimicking that of a whip being snapped; hence the term whiplash.
It is important to remember that the term whiplash does have a slight negative connotation. However real the effect, professional injury lawyers typically feel it is best to rely on medical terminology and clinical descriptions when building an auto injury case against a negligent driver. For instance, whiplash-type injuries are commonly referred to as hyperextension or hyperflexion injuries, myofascial injury, neck or cervical sprains. etc.
While rear-end collisions are often the cause of whiplash and other neck-related injuries, there are other kinds of personal injury accidents that can also have the same effect on a person. These can include car and truck accidents other than those involving a straight forward rear-end crash; intentional bodily assault that may have also produced head trauma, such as a strong shove from behind; snowboarding or skiing mishaps; repetitive stress injuries on the job; “shaken baby syndrome”; slip-and-fall accidents in the home or other locations, such as retail stores and on poorly-maintained sidewalks.
When it comes to traffic-related whiplash injuries, many people believe that only high-speed automobile accidents can result in whiplash-type injuries. However, this is not true. Quite often, it is the lower-speed, minimal force rear-end auto impacts that cause the majority of neck-related injuries. At Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers, we understand that the causes of whiplash can be quite complex and be the result of more than simple force of impact.
While some may argue that whiplash is a minor soft-tissue injury the effects of which are negligible at best, this is far from the real truth. Years of medical evidence has suggested that the soft tissue injuries associated with whiplash can have serious and long-term effects if left untreated. As professional personal injury attorneys, Lebowitz & Mzhen always recommend that anyone involved in a car accident, no matter how seemingly minor, seek immediate medical attention.
In addition to serious cognitive or psychological difficulties that may be brought on by a whiplash injury, the following are some other typical symptoms related to such neck-related injuries:
- Headache, dizziness and/or blurred vision
- Neck pain and stiffness
- Decreased range of motion
- Shoulder, arm or back pain
- Unusual neurological sensations such as tingling of hands or arms, a burning feeling, or prickly sensation
- Interruption of the victim’s sleep cycle, trouble concentrating or fatigue
As professional auto and trucking accident lawyers, Lebowitz & Mzhen only focuses on more serious Maryland car and trucking accident claims, rather than whiplash-only claims. In this regard, we do handle whiplash-related injury cases where the injuries are more serious than one would otherwise suspect. We say this because it happens to a surprisingly greater extent than most people might imagine.
It is generally known that serious neck injuries can linger long after a whiplash-related accident has occurred, yet medical professionals are still learning about these types of spine-related injuries. Although our lawyers do not handle many of these kinds of soft tissue injury accident cases, we are happy to review your case and make recommendations. If we do take on an automobile-related whiplash case, be assured that Lebowitz & Mzhen has the expertise to see our clients through the often complicated steps of a personal injury lawsuit.
Your future and the future of your loved ones are important considerations when facing a potentially debilitating physical injury. Because medical costs and rehabilitative therapies are always rising, protecting yourself and the financial health of your family is a primary concern. At Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers, our attorneys fight hard for the compensation due to our clients. Whether your suit involves compensation for medical expenses, rehab costs, and even lost wages due to the inability to perform one’s job, our legal team is ready and willing to help. Contact us today at (800) 654-1949 or, email Jack Lebowitz or Vadim Mzhen to set up a free, no-obligation consultation.