If you suffer a whiplash injury following a road traffic accident, which was not your fault, then you may be entitled to make a personal injury compensation claim.
If you are a passenger your whiplash compensation claim would be made against the insurance company of the person responsible for the accident, whether that is the driver of the vehicle you were travelling in or a third party driver.
If you are a driver, your whiplash compensation claim would be made against the insurance company of the person driving the vehicle which collided with you.
Whiplash injury is by far and away the most commonly seen result of car accidents. This painful condition happens when the head is suddenly and forcefully jolted forwards and then backwards in quick succession. This is invariably caused by rear impact collisions. While it is not often dangerous it can be somewhat incapacitating and is often the subject of accident compensation claims.
Treatment of whiplash
The impact of whiplash injury varies from person to person. Some people will find themselves in a great deal of pain requiring painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs from their doctor, and it can take as long as 6 months to fully recover. Other people find themselves less severely affected, with their lives less restricted. In the past whiplash sufferers were easily identified by the cervical collars they wore for several weeks following the car accident. This is now becoming a thing of the past. The helpfulness of these collars has been called into question by medical experts with increasing frequency in recent years, and early mobility of the neck through gentle exercise is now deemed to be the most effective treatment. (Please contact your doctor before undertaking any exercise following a whiplash injury).