Whiplash is one of the most common injuries in car accidents, particularly rear-end collisions. It’s often described as a “minor” injury, but people who have experienced it know better. Whiplash can cause significant pain, disrupt sleep and work, and interfere with daily life for weeks or even months. If another driver’s negligence caused your crash, Missouri law allows you to seek compensation for a whiplash injury.
Contact a car accident lawyer in St. Louis today to get the compensation you and your family deserve.
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What Is Whiplash?
Whiplash is a neck injury that occurs when the head forcefully moves back and forth, like the motion of a whip cracking, which gives the injury its name. In a collision, the impact snaps the neck backward and then forward faster than the muscles can brace, stretching and tearing the muscles, ligaments, tendons, and other soft tissues that support the head.
Rear-end accidents are the classic cause, since the victim rarely sees the impact coming, but whiplash can occur in any type of crash where the head is thrown suddenly, including collisions involving large commercial vehicles such as logging truck accidents.
Common Symptoms of Whiplash
Whiplash produces recognizable symptoms, though they vary in severity from person to person:
- Neck pain and stiffness
- Reduced range of motion when turning the head
- Headaches, often beginning at the base of the skull
- Shoulder and upper back pain
- Muscle spasms
- Dizziness
- Tingling or numbness in the arms, in some cases
These symptoms may not appear until hours or days after the accident; feeling fine at the scene does not mean you have walked away unscathed, so always be on the lookout for these symptoms to arise.
How Is Whiplash Diagnosed?
Diagnosis starts with a physical examination and a careful review of symptoms and medical history, including how the crash occurred. Doctors typically order X-rays to rule out fractures, and when more serious injuries are suspected, like nerve involvement, disc damage, a CT scan or MRI may be ordered.
Can You Recover Compensation for Whiplash?
Yes. When another driver’s negligence caused the crash, Missouri law entitles you to recover the costs of a whiplash injury. This generally includes compensation for medical bills, physical therapy, lost wages from missed work, and pain and suffering for what the injury has put you through. The value of a whiplash claim depends on the severity and duration of the symptoms and how thoroughly they’re documented
Why Insurance Companies Often Dispute Whiplash Claims
Whiplash claims meet more resistance than most other injury claims, and the reasons are predictable once you understand how insurers evaluate them.
The Injury Doesn’t Show on Standard Imaging
As a soft tissue injury, whiplash frequently doesn’t appear on an X-ray. Insurers often treat the absence of visible proof as an opening, suggesting that if nothing shows on imaging, nothing serious happened.
Delayed Symptoms Create Doubt
Whiplash symptoms often develop hours or days after the crash, and insurers use that gap to argue the injury came from something else entirely. This delay is normal, but without prompt documentation and a strong legal argument, it becomes ammunition for the insurance company.
Whiplash Is Often Treated With Suspicion
Whether it’s fair or not, whiplash has long been portrayed as the exaggerated injury – the claim people invent. Adjusters lean on that reputation, characterizing legitimate injuries as minor, overstated, or opportunistic.
Low Settlement Offers Come Fast
Because whiplash claims are seen as disputable, insurers often make quick, modest offers early, before treatment is complete and before the full picture of the injury exists. Accepting one closes the claim permanently, even if symptoms persist for months afterward.
Whiplash is real, painful, and compensable, no matter how insurers try to frame it. If a negligent driver left you with a neck injury in Missouri, get the medical care you need and let our personal injury lawyers in St. Louis handle the conversations with the insurance company. We’ll do everything we can to help you recover what you deserve.
Call today or contact us online to schedule a free consultation.