Don’t dismiss whiplash injuries from car accidents

Anytime a crash occurs on an Ohio roadway, the individuals involved run the risk of suffering serious injury. Even low speed car accidents can result in dangerous health conditions, and the victims may not even realize it at first. Whiplash may be the punch line to some people’s jokes, but it is actually a potentially serious condition.

In some cases, whiplash is an indicator of a traumatic brain injury. In other instances, it indicates the presence of a spinal cord injury. The rapid deceleration that occurs during an impact causes the neck to rapidly move back and forth or side to side. During these motions, the muscles, tendons, nerves and even bones in the neck are under extreme stress.

Even if a crash victim “feels fine,” he or she should go to a doctor for an examination. It could take days for an individual to experience the full extent of this type of injury, and by then, it could be too late to prevent serious repercussions. To understand how serious whiplash can be, an 8 mph impact could cause the body to undergo a 7 G-force in less than a second. Anyone who has ever been in an accident knows that it can occur in just seconds, and that the one or less second that encompasses the impact can do a significant amount of damage.

Any Ohio resident involved in a crash ought to seriously consider going to the doctor. Whiplash may not seem like a serious injury, but it can be in its own right. It could also indicate a more serious injury that could only get worse without medical intervention. In addition, if the car accidents that lead to these injuries were the result of another driver’s negligence, it may be possible to pursue restitution for the financial losses incurred.

Share this on: