Rear-End Collisions

Rear-end collisions can leave victims with debilitating and painful injuries. Although it has been scoffed at in recent years, soft tissue injuries and neck pain associated with whiplash injures can have incredibly long lasting painful impacts on a victim’s life. 

In most cases, the driver that rear-ends a victim’s car is usually held liable for injuries and damages. Not all cases are cut and dry though, so it’s absolutely important to speak with a skilled personal injury attorney as soon as possible after a wreck. Even if you think your insurance company is going to treat you fairly, check with a lawyer, just in case.

What Causes a Rear-End Crash?

There are a number of common causes for rear-end crashes. One of the most common ways people get rear-ended is by distracted drivers. Drivers can be distracted by a number of internal or external factors. It could be a case of texting-while-driving or even rubber necking at the scene of another accident. Driver inattention is obviously one of the most common causes for rear-ending another car. If you’re not watching where you’re going, you’re not going to see that the car in front of you is stopped or not going as fast as you think it is. No matter what happens, it’s important to remember that a car slammed into the back of your vehicle.

The most common injury associated with a rear-end crash is whiplash. Whiplash may seem pretty mild to somebody who hasn’t suffered from it, but it can leave victims with incredibly painfully long-lasting impacts to their daily lives. Since most car-accident victims are running high on adrenaline after a wreck, it’s important to see a doctor as soon as possible. You may not notice a severe neck injury until hours or days later. You might initially feel fine, only to be in debilitating pain later that day or night. Depending upon the severity of the crash, victims may also have suffered from traumatic brain injuries, fractures, lacerations, contusions and a variety of other injuries.

What is Whiplash?

The term “whiplash” is actually pretty self-explanatory. It’s basically a person’s neck (spinal cord) being whipped back and forth by an incredibly force of impact, (often a rear-end crash). It’s kind of like if somebody were to crack your neck like a whip. Technically, this type of injury will be classified as hyper-flexion or hyperextension. Neck pain is nothing to ignore after a wreck. You might be feeling a little stiff or painful, but don’t downplay it. Pain is pain. Your spinal cord could be injured, and you need to get it checked out by a doctor.