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Sunday, 4 March 2012

Whiplash Injury Claim in the UK, how it works?


Whiplash is a medical condition in which the soft tissues of the spine are stretched and strained after your body suffers physical trauma involving a sudden, forceful jerk movement. This is a condition most people suffer from after being in a car accident. The most common symptoms of whiplash include headaches, stiffness in the neck and the back of the head. These symptoms are visible a couple of days after the accident and take a couple of weeks to heal and return to normal. In the UK, there were over 250,000 reports of people suffering from whiplash due to car accidents. One tenth of those reported suffered permanent disabilities because of their whiplash injuries. Whiplash injury claims are necessary to be made, if you have been in a car accident that is not your fault and has caused you a whiplash injury. Car manufacturers invest a lot of time equipping vehicles with a number of safety measures. But in spite of that, it is not possible to avoid injury in a car accident. 

If another party is to blame for the accident that has caused your whiplash injury, you will be due compensation for the injury you suffered. Compensation includes any medical expenses due to the whiplash injury caused by the car accident, damage to your vehicle caused by the car accident, expenses for the time taken off from work for medical leave and much more. If you feel you should be compensated and will need to make a whiplash injury claim you will need to collect evidence from the accident. If you have a camera, take pictures of the scene of the accident. Details from other people involved in the car accident should be noted, such as names, phone numbers, postal address, etc. The trouble with whiplash injuries are the fact that they are not apparent initially. Sometimes a whiplash injury affects the body a couple of days after the accident has occurred. It is important to take down all the details of the car accident even if you feel that you are not injured and fine.


Whiplash injury claims are made with an insurance company or a solicitor. An insurance company can compensate you for your whiplash injury according to the settlement agreement you make. A solicitor will distinguish the claims you make as general damages or special damages. General damages involve the compensation for any physical pain and suffering from whiplash injuries in a car accident. General damages are also claimed for whiplash injuries involving emotional pain or loss of enjoyment as a direct result. Psychological disorders triggered by the physical and mental trauma of a whiplash injury from a car accident can also be compensated.