Fact of the matter is, the insurance companies can and will find ways to keep from paying for your injuries.  They have their interest in mind, not yours. Retain an attorney, one that specializes in personal injuries.

Whiplash: Facts and Myths

Myth: A victim’s symptoms become maximal within 24 to 72 hours after the accident,  if you don't have any symptoms by then, you won't have any future problems.

Fact: Symptoms from whiplash may actually take months to years to manifest.  Many times the onset of symptoms are long after the repairs to the fender have been made and the patient doesn’t associate the symptoms with that fender bender.

Myth: Low speed collisions cause little to no harm to the occupants of the vehicle. Your injuries cannot be that bad because there is little or no damage to your vehicle.  No Crash, no cash!

Fact: The amount of damage to a vehicle has nothing to do with the amount of injuries sustained by the victims.  Through the years the insurance companies and the government have forced the auto manufactures to install a 2.5 or a 5 MPH bumper on all autos manufactured in the U.S. These bumpers do not absorb the energy during an accident, but actually transfers the energy to the victims within the vehicle. This action is much like the cue ball on a billiard table when it strikes the other balls during a break. The energy of the cue ball is transferred to the other balls causing them to move about.

Myth: Low speed crashes don't generate enough force to hurt anyone!

Fact: The forces transferred to a victim are surprisingly high. Test utilizing crash test dummies during a rear-end collision have demonstrated forces as high as 2.5 times that of the forces sustained by the vehicle. Other studies have measured a peak acceleration of the head of a human volunteer to be as high as 47.8 G's at 10 MPH.

Myth: The loss of the normal cervical lordotic curvature of the neck is asymptomatic.

Fact: The cervical lordotic curvature acts as a tension loaded spring.  Between the disc (the shock absorbers of the neck) and the lordotic curvature, they act much like the springs and shock absorbers on a car to cushion the blows from everyday stress such as simple walking. Without this spring, the disc prematurely wear out and degeneration of the joints of the spine begin.

Myth: If you were in a seatbelt, then you cannot be hurt!

Fact: While seat and shoulder restraints have greatly decreased fatalities and  serious chest injuries, the fact remains that seat and especially shoulder restraints have significantly increased the number of disabling cervical injuries. While the restraints hold the body in place, the neck becomes a pivot point for the head.  The motion of the head is intensified, therefore increasing the stresses and forces applied to the neck. 

Myth: Pain and anti-inflammatory medications speed up your recovery from whiplash.

Fact: Recent studies published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery reports that these medications can actually delay the healing process.

Myth: The application of heat, rest and medications will relieve a victim's symptoms leaving no residual pain or degenerative problems.

Fact: Medications only mask or cover up a victim's symptoms and do little to speed a recovery.  Proper management of a whiplash case must include rehabilitation and the restoration of the function of the injured areas, not rest. Heat causes inflammation and can actually aggravate your injuries. Over the past 30-years, numerous research studies have been conducted on the long term effects of whiplash. Researchers going back as far as 20 years have demonstrated that approximately 87% of victims fully recover with 11% having chronic problems that have yet to resolve. Victims with whiplash are also 6 times more likely to develop degenerative joint disease in which the disc desicate (dry out) and develop arthritic spurs.

Myth: The insurance adjuster from the insurance company of the guy that hit you says he'll take care of you.

Fact: Ok, let's get real here! Insurance companies want to settle with you as soon as they can while your medical bills are low or simply are nonexistent.  These guys make money by not paying claims or paying off the victim early!

Myth: My insurance company's adjuster said he would take good care of me!

Fact: Re-read the paragraph above.