Types of severe whiplash injury

If you have been in a car accident, you may well have been diagnosed with a whiplash injury. This injury is one that is suffered by thousands of people in the UK each year and is a recorded injury in around one of every five car accidents. Read more about what whiplash is.

The majority of people with a whiplash injury will have suffered only a minor neck strain and although painful for the first few days or weeks, the discomfort will reduce fairly quickly. Most people are fully recovered from a whiplash injury within a month of their car accident and do not have to undergo any treatment or medication other than painkillers. Read more about recovering from a whiplash injury.

However, not all whiplash injuries are simple and able to heal over time by themselves. Some, especially those that occurred in high speed car accidents, have the potential to be very severe and even life -changing. Read more about the severity of whiplash.

The most severe types of whiplash injury involve damage to the discs and vertebrae in the neck, which usually allow the neck to move and protect the spinal cord.

Damage to vertebrae
When the whiplash motion is very sharp, it is possible for the vertebrae in the neck to sustain a fracture. The fracture itself can vary in severity, from a minor hairline fracture to a wedge fracture which is much more serious.

A person who has sustained a hairline fracture to a vertebra is unlikely to need an operation or any serious treatment. Many in this position are given a soft collar and advised to rest for several weeks.

Slice fractures and wedge fractures of vertebrae in the neck are also possible outcomes of a severe whiplash injury. These can have very serious effects and can cause spinal cord injury, resulting in possible paralysis. Damage to the spinal cord may well occur if there is a vertebral fracture that is accompanied by disruption to the ligaments in the neck.

Damage to discs
It is also possible to suffer spinal cord damage if one of the discs in the neck is pushed into the spinal cord or into the nerve roots. If this occurs, urgent surgery will usually be required to try to correct the problem through fusion or decompression.

The change in disc positioning (disc herniation) may not necessarily occur as the car accident is occurring or immediately after it. The process of herniation can go on for several months in some cases.

If you believe that you may be suffering from any of the above injuries and you are not undergoing treatment for them, it is important to seek professional medical assistance as soon as possible.

Claiming whiplash injury compensation
We help many people to get personal injury compensation for their whiplash injuries, which have ranged in severity from relatively minor to very serious. Read a whiplash injury case study.

If you believe that someone else was at fault in the car crash or other accident in which you sustained your whiplash injury, you may be entitled to compensation. We can help you claim for your pain and suffering, as well as any costs or losses the accident caused you.

Our personal injury solicitors have specialist knowledge of whiplash injury claims and can help you to get the very best possible result. You can be assured of excellent service at all times and that we will help you to get the maximum possible compensation for your neck injury.

You will not have to pay a penny to us or anyone else, no matter what the outcome of your whiplash injury claim. This is because you will be protected from all costs and fees if your claim is unsuccessful and your opponent will be responsible for all costs and fees if it is successful.

If you would like free, no obligation legal advice about making a whiplash injury claim, please call 0800 10 757 95 or fill in an online claim form.