If you have been injured in a car accident in the UK, you might be able to claim compensation because of Whiplash. Why not ask Pinto Potts Solicitors to take on your compensation claim on in a No Win No Fee arrangement? We offer free legal advice on this, and all types of personal injury compensation claims.
Claim For Whiplash Injury
What Are The Causes Of Whiplash?
A whiplash injury may be the result of impulsive stretching of ligaments in the spine which is stretched or tears, as the head snaps forward and then back again causing a whiplash injury.
Whiplash may be caused by any motion similar to a rear-end collision in a car, such as may take place on a roller coaster or other rides at an amusement park, sports injuries such as skiing accidents, other modes of transportation such as airplane travel, or from being hit or shaken. Shaken baby syndrome can result in a whiplash injury.
Symptoms Of Whiplash
Symptoms reported by sufferers include: pain and aching to the neck and back, referred pain to the shoulders, sensory disturbance (such as pins and needles) to the arms & legs and headaches. Symptoms can appear directly after the crash, but often are not felt until days afterwards. Whiplash is usually confined to the spinal cord (neck to pubic bone), and the most common areas of the spinal cord affected by whiplash are the neck, and the mid-back (middle of the spine). Reliably diagnosing a whiplash injury or disorder is not difficult for a trained doctor.
After Effects Of Whiplash
The consequences of whiplash range from mild pain for a few days (most common symptom), to severe disability caused by restricted head movement or of the cervical spine, sometimes with persistent pain.
Whiplash Made Worse By Head Restraints
As many as 63% of motorists continue to have their head restraint positioned incorrectly, putting them at risk of neck injury and whiplash, it was revealed today.
The Motor Insurance Repair Research Centre - more commonly known as Thatcham - said a total of 250,000 drivers received so-called 'whiplash' injuries each year, with 25,000 suffering some form of permanent disability.
It claimed that 125,000 car occupants were hurt simply because of incorrectly-positioned headrests. This was a particular problem among male drivers, with only 25% having their head-rest positioned properly.
Thatcham said the results were especially disappointing given the fact that the majority of car seats now offered good passenger protection in the event of a rear-end impact.
Thatcham's crash lab manager, Matthew Avery, said: "The manufacturers are doing their bit - now the public have got to wake up to whiplash. The head restraint should be seen as every bit as important as the seat belt - yet people seem oblivious as to how to use it properly.''
He added: "These figures are shocking. If people are made aware of the risks they are running they would take a few seconds to adjust their restraint whenever they get in to a vehicle.
Whiplash Injuries Can Be Prevented
"More than 125,000 whiplash injuries could be prevented in this country each year if people took a little time out to save their necks."
According to road safety experts the top of the head restraint should be level with the top of the driver's/passenger's head, or at least no lower than eye level. Also, the restraint should be as close as possible to the back of the head when sitting comfortably in the seat of the car.
Research by the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) has shown that almost 70% of people slightly injured in road accidents have suffered from whiplash, sometimes in conjunction with other injuries. Sufferers spend an average of 39 days off work and at least 8% of people have not fully recovered at least up to four years after the accident took place.
An examination of 2007 model year vehicles by Thatcham showed that car manufacturers were beginning to take whiplash injuries more seriously by re-designing seats to improve occupant safety. As many as 80% of new European derived seats achieved a 'good' or 'acceptable' score in the tests.
According to Thatcham Saab and Volvo "continue to lead the way" in whiplash safety with 'good' rated seats in each and every new model on sale.
Other manufacturers such as Ford and Renault were now joining them and introducing new seats with effective anti-whiplash technology. Also, Audi had introduced an innovative anti-whiplash seat that scored highly in the Thatcham tests, despite having no "costly to repair" anti-whiplash mechanism.
However, some manufacturers were still attempting top cut costs producing seats that offered 'poor' protection. Thatcham added that surprisingly, some of the poor seats were fitted to "premium brands" of car.
The news stories published on our website are done so for the interest of our visitors, stories we publish have been widely reported in the media. By us publishing a story on this website does not infer or suggest that Pinto Potts LLP Solicitors have any knowledge or involvement with cases or persons mentioned.
No Win No Fee Whiplash Claim
We help thousands of injured people throughout the UK make whiplash claims every year. Our service is 100% No Win, No Fee - risk and cost free, there are no catches, no fees, no deductions and no middlemen, win or lose you will not be asked to pay a penny. If you would like to speak to one of our personal injury Solicitors for free legal advice on whiplash injuries, call us now on Freephone: 0800 316 4434 or make an online enquiry.
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