Whiplash Injury Lawyer

Many people underestimate the extent of whiplash and neck pain after an accident. Whiplash injuries are a common injury, but they frequently develop into chronic pain. Up to 56 percent of whiplash patients complain of pain two years after the accident. 

The truth of the matter is none of us are at our best when we are in pain. Whiplash pain ranges from being mild to severe, and it causes headaches and shoulder pain in addition to the usual neck discomfort. It is an actual injury and often a painful and serious one that affects every portion of your life. If you sustain a whiplash injury due to a car accident, you deserve compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, home services, and pain and suffering. 

The attorneys at Raphaelson & Levine Law Firm have seen their fair share of whiplash injuries resulting from car accidents. We offer 30 years of personal injury litigation experience and earned $700 million for our clients. If you suffered a whiplash injury due to another individual’s negligence, know that we are here to handle every aspect of your insurance claim so you can focus on recovery. 

What is a Whiplash Injury?

Whiplash describes an event where your head is suddenly jerked back and forth beyond its normal range of motion. In an auto accident, this motion occurs most commonly in rear-end collisions: the sudden force of the impact pushes your head forward and snaps it back, resulting in overextension of the muscles and ligaments in your neck. Medical providers also classify whiplash as a neck sprain or strain. 

Car accidents are the most common cause of whiplash; about 45 percent of patients reporting chronic neck pain to attribute the symptoms to a previous car accident. Other causes include contact sports (especially football), intentional assault, and falls. 

The challenge with whiplash injuries is they are soft tissue injuries that do not show up on x-rays. While whiplash can remove the cervical curve (cervical acceleration/deceleration syndrome), that symptom presents with other conditions as well. Doctors diagnose whiplash primarily on patient reports and range of motion tests. Most medical providers take x-rays to rule out serious spinal cord injury, but imaging does not detect inflammation in the soft tissues. The pain from whiplash arises primarily from tears and swelling in ligaments, tendons, muscles, and cartilage. 

To make matters worse, insurance companies regularly dispute whiplash claims. That is why many people do not consider whiplash a “real” injury or assume the pain will simply heal if left alone. In reality, whiplash is often painful and disruptive, leading clients to miss work, lose sleep, and wonder if they will ever feel better again. An accident attorney at Raphaelson & Levine can persuade the insurer to take your whiplash seriously so that you can receive compensation for medical bills and lost wages. 

Common Symptoms of Whiplash 

Symptoms of whiplash include:

• Neck stiffness and pain
• Worse pain with neck movement
• Reduced range of motion
• Heachaces, mainly at the base of the skull
• Pain and tenderness in shoulders, upper back, or arms
• Tingling and numbness in arms
• Fatigue
• Dizziness
  

In cases involving serious injury, people may also face:

• Blurred vision
• Tinnitus (ringing in ears)
• Insomnia
• Irritability
• Issues with memory and concentration
• Depression
  

If you face these symptoms, especially in the second set, you need medical attention. Your doctor confirms whiplash range of motion exams in your neck and shoulders and seeing where you feel pain. They check for tenderness in your neck, shoulders, or back and observe you as you perform simple tasks. After the exam, doctors take x-rays to rule out fractures and spinal abnormalities. 

Medical treatment for a neck injury focuses on controlling pain, restoring range of motion, and helping you return to normal activities. Pain management may include:

• Over-the-counter medications: Advil, Tylenol, and Aleve work best for mild to moderate pain. 
• Prescription medications: If you face severe pain or if the pain keeps you from sleeping, doctors may prescribe prescription painkillers or antidepressants known to manage pain. 
• Muscle relaxants: These drugs may loosen tight muscles and reduce your pain. They can leave you feeling tired, so doctors reserve these drugs for patients who cannot sleep through their pain. 
• Injections: Lidocaine injections work well when pain interferes with your recovery. It is common to receive lidocaine before physical therapy. 
  

Physical therapy assists with a range of motion exercises. The gentle exercises help you relieve pain, avoid further injury, and transition to normal activities. Your therapist may use transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) to deliver mild electric current to tight muscles and ease the pain. The number of sessions depends on your recovery time and the extent of the injury. 

Your physical therapist and doctor may give you a cervical foam collar to keep your head still while your ligaments heal. It may also include a home stretching routine so you can keep up with physical therapy and gain strength. 

Alternative therapies are popular for whiplash injuries. Even though research on them is limited, patients claim better results, and insurance policies often cover these treatments. They include:

• Chiropractic care
• Acupuncture
• Massage
• Mind-body therapies involving yoga, qi gong, or tai chi
  

Many symptoms and treatments for whiplash are time-consuming and disruptive to your daily routines. Besides medical costs, you will likely miss work due to pain or medical appointments. For serious whiplash injuries, you may require paid help around the house or additional childcare. You can receive reimbursement for all these expenses by hiring a car accident lawyer at our firm. 

Schedule a Free Consultation With Our Whiplash Attorneys Today

Raphaelson & Levine offers extensive experience handling whiplash claims. We represent clients who sustain whiplash from the following types of cases:

• Motor vehicle accidents
• Slip, trip, and fall accidents
• Workplace injuries
• Construction accidents
  

When you sustain a whiplash injury, your focus should be on feeling better. Medical appointments take time, and the last thing you want to handle is insurance paperwork, medical expenses and records, and constant emails. You could go through all of this work and still receive a lowball offer from the insurance adjuster. 

There is no reason to go through that alone. You can hire our lawyers to work for you and secure the highest recovery possible when you suffer injuries from a car accident. The other driver’s insurance company is more likely to take your claims seriously if you hire us, and our efforts will maximize your compensation. 

A thorough and effective personal injury legal team works hard to establish your case and offers services you would likely not accomplish independently. Once we establish an attorney-client relationship, we get to work on the following: 

• Investigating accidents to establish fault
• Requesting your medical records so we can review them and establish your case.
• Consulting with medical experts and your doctors to verify your whiplash injury and its seriousness
• Finding responsible parties, seek damages from them, and hold them accountable so you receive the most significant award possible.
• Finding expert witnesses to testify at trial to create a stronger damages claim
• Offering guidance, support, and legal advice, so you know what is happening every step of the way. 
  

Raphaelson & Levine is proud to be the “voice of the injured” on behalf of accident victims in New York City. Our dedicated and committed personal injury attorneys are available to secure a settlement or verdict that compensates you for your medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation and case evaluation.