The effects of head-on and side-on collisions on a whiplash claim

Discussions of about whiplash can sometimes seem to assume a one-dimensional world where all road traffic accidents occur in a straight line, and all personal injuries incurred during the accident happen in the same straight line. YouClaim's experience of people who make a whiplash claim suggests that this situation is very rare.

When an accident consists of one car running directly into the side of another, the driver of the struck vehicle may receive lateral hyperflexion injuries, a sideways form of whiplash. As the neck has little tolerance for sideways motion, this can complicate a sufferer's symptoms, such as neck pain, and thus cause them to last longer than those of a purely direct whiplash injury.

Like the perfectly parallel car crash, the perfectly perpendicular accident is also a theoretical model that bears little resemblance to the real world. Most car accidents in the UK occur at an angle somewhere between head-on and side-on, giving rise to people making a whiplash claim for direct and lateral whiplash injuries.

The position of the driver in a road traffic accident can also affect the type of whiplash injuries received. In many collisions, the driver turns his or her head to see the approaching car, turning the spine so that even if the accident is perfectly parallel for one of the bones in the neck, it will have some lateral force on the adjacent ones.

Making a whiplash claim after a road traffic accident
If you have been in a road traffic accident that has led to your receiving whiplash injuries, whether it was a head-on or side-on collision, you may well be eligible to make a whiplash claim for compensation.

YouClaim's panel of personal injury solicitors includes experts in whiplash claims, who are ready to help you claim for injuries, cost of treatment and lost earnings. We are justly proud of our success rate, and our 100% compensation guarantee means that you will receive the entire amount of the award in a successful case. Our cost-free promise protects you from any of the costs of a rare unsuccessful case.

To speak to someone in confidence about the details of your whiplash claim, simply call our advisors on 0800 10 757 95 or reach us online by using our e-chat system. If you prefer, you can request someone from our team to call you at a time of your choice by filling out our call-back form. All advice is given freely and without pressure.