Car accident related whiplash is one of the most common car accident injuries. These serious neck injuries can range from mild discomfort to severe. But if they are not taken seriously and do not receive proper treatment, they can have long term consequences, including loss of work, full disability and large medical costs.
Whiplash injuries are often not felt immediately. You might not notice you have a neck injury for days after the auto accident. Many people do not get treatment, and this is a big mistake.
It is possible for a whiplash injury after a car accident to last days, weeks, months or years, depending on which soft tissues were injured and to what degree.
A long-term whiplash injury can occur from a very serious crash. Even in a severe accident, you could take 12 hours or more for the full pain of whiplash to manifest.
If you suspect you have had a whiplash injury, be seen by a medical professional immediately to get a diagnosis. If you don't get diagnosed by a doctor and later try to file a claim, the insurance company will probably argue that you were faking or exaggerating your whiplash injury and try to get out of paying any car accident settlement compensation you probably would have been able to collect if you had seen a doctor immediately.