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The impact of a car accident can leave you facing serious injuries, and one category of injury that is often especially painful and debilitating is neck injuries.
Neck injuries are especially common in car accidents, and they can also be especially difficult to move beyond.
If another driver’s negligence leaves you with a neck injury, consult with a skilled Arkansas car accident attorney who has considerable experience successfully handling challenging neck injury claims today.
Whiplash
The Mayo Clinic reports that whiplash is very closely associated with rear-end car accidents, which are one of the most common types of car accidents on our roads.
When your car is hit from behind, it thrusts your head forward – only to be jerked back and forth repeatedly as the crash’s energy abates. This impact is the perfect setup for whiplash, which is associated with the head whipping back and forth on the neck. Whiplash is not only very painful but is also highly unpredictable.
Consider the following:
- Whiplash can present with painful symptoms immediately, but it can also be slow to make itself known.
- The intense pain caused by whiplash can subside over time, but it can also become chronic.
- Whiplash can leave its victims in constant pain, but the pain can also come and go with little rhyme or reason.
The constants when it comes to whiplash are that these injuries tend to be very painful and tend to seriously limit the range of motion of the neck, which can be especially challenging.
Neck pain after car accidents can be indicative of whiplash – or an even more serious neck injury – which makes obtaining the immediate medical attention that you need and reaching out for professional legal counsel both excellent ideas.
Common Symptoms of Neck Injuries From Car Accidents
Johns Hopkins Medicine shares the following common symptoms of whiplash:
- Neck pain or stiffness
- Pain that radiates into the shoulder
- Lower back pain
- Pain or numbness in the arm or hand
- Ringing in the ears
- Dizziness
- Blurred vision
- Difficulty concentrating or memory issues
- Sleep disturbances or the sudden onset of exhaustion
- The onset of irritability
If you suffer any of these symptoms after a car accident, seeking immediate medical attention is well advised.
These can also be symptoms of even more serious neck injuries, and because early diagnosis correlates so closely with improved health outcomes, erring on the side of caution is prudent.
Some more serious symptoms of neck injuries that require emergency treatment include:
- Difficulty breathing
- Difficulty swallowing
- Swelling inside the neck or throat
- Severe pain in the neck
- Inability to feel your hands or limbs
Other Types of Neck Injuries
While whiplash is very closely related to car accidents, they are by no means the only kind of neck injury experienced in the aftermath of these crashes.
Slipped or herniated disc
The immense impact generated by a car accident can cause the discs in your spine – jelly-filled shock absorbers that are there to protect your vertebrae – to slip, herniate, bulge, or rupture, which can lead to significant pain or numbness in the neck or arms.
Pinched nerve
If the jolt of the car accident causes your bones, discs, tissues, or tendons to shift out of position and irritate or compress the surrounding nerves, it’s known as a pinched nerve, and it can lead to serious pain, tingling, numbness, or any combination of the three.
Cervical spondylolisthesis
Cervical spondylolisthesis refers to a condition in which one or more vertebrae slip out of alignment or become dislocated in the impact of a car accident. These injuries can compress nerves in the spinal cord that cause pain to radiate through the back of your shoulders, neck, or head.
Facet joint injury
Your facet joints allow you to move your head and neck freely in all directions while stabilizing both. If these joints become inflamed or injured in a car accident, it can lead to immense pain in addition to considerable losses in terms of the range of motion.
Neck fracture
If one of the seven neck bones in your cervical spine is fractured or broken, it’s a very serious injury that requires immediate medical attention. A broken neck – as this injury is often called – can lead to complete damage to the spinal cord nerves and can cause permanent paralysis or can even prove fatal.
Discuss Your Claim with an Experienced Arkansas Car Accident Attorney Today
If a negligent driver causes you to suffer a neck injury in a car accident, the physical, financial, and emotional consequences you experience can reverberate into your future in challenging ways that should not be ignored.
The car accident attorneys at Denton & Zachary – proudly serving Little Rock, Conway, and Cordova – recognize the gravity of your situation and are fully committed to skillfully advocating for your legal rights – in pursuit of fair compensation that affords you the ability to reach your fullest recovery.
We are on your side and here to help. Don’t delay contacting us or calling us at 501-521-1353 for more information today.
Car Accident Neck Injury FAQs
How do I know if I need to see a doctor for car accident neck pain?
The fact is that, even if you don’t think you were seriously injured in the car accident in question, it is always in your best interest to get checked out by a medical professional. Many injuries – including serious neck injuries – can hide in plain sight until they become far more serious and far more difficult to treat effectively.
Is it necessary to hire a car accident attorney?
Obtaining the compensation to which you are entitled can hinge on whether or not you have legal representation, which makes working closely with a trusted car accident attorney well-advised.
Can I afford a car accident attorney?
You can afford an experienced car accident attorney – most work on contingency, which means they don’t get paid unless or until you receive a settlement or court award.