Why Auto Neck Injuries Happen (and What You Can Do About Them)
For some reason, people tend to think of neck injuries as “less serious” than other kinds of car accident injuries.
Insurance companies have even been successful in attaching a stigma to people who file a claim for whiplash or other auto neck injuries.
But that doesn’t make any sense. The neck is one of the most vital and vulnerable parts of the body. It is home to major arteries, muscles, nerves, ligaments, tendons, and bones. Your spine runs directly through it and attaches to your brain at the top of the neck.
In fact, injuries to your neck can affect nearly the entire body — and especially the head, back, arms, and shoulders.
The result is a substantial impact on your range of motion, quality of life, experience of pain, and ability to make a living.
Whether your car accident neck injury is temporary or permanent — moderate or debilitating — if it happens because of another driver’s negligence, you deserve financial compensation for your experience.
An experienced team of Bakersfield auto accident lawyers can help you claim that compensation and maximize its value. Below, we explain how these injuries happen and what you can do to claim justice after an unexpected California car crash.
Common Neck Injuries After an Auto Accident
The force of impact can affect the neck in different ways. The most common neck-related injuries in California auto accidents include:
- Whiplash
- Neck sprain
- Pinched nerve
- Herniated disc
More severe injuries can include:
- Broken neck
- Spinal cord damage
- Vision or hearing loss
- Arterial dissection (especially of the carotid artery)
- Horner’s syndrome
- Limb impairment
- Stroke
- Paralysis
Signs and Symptoms of a Neck Injury After a Car Accident
Neck injuries can be difficult to spot because they sometimes come on gradually, and it’s easy to mistake a serious injury for a minor one.
Common signs and symptoms of a neck injury requiring medical attention include:
- Pain in your neck
- Pain in the shoulders, upper back, lower head, arms, or hands
- Headaches
- Reduced range of motion in the neck, shoulders, or arms
- Muscle spasms in the neck
- Weakness in the hands or arms
More serious symptoms may signal a medical emergency. These might include:
- Sudden weakness or tingling in one side of the body
- One pupil is a different size than the other
- Drooping eyelids or facial features
- Slurred speech
- Blurry vision
- Sudden severe headache
- Sudden difficulty making normal movements in your arms, hands, or legs
- Sudden extreme pain in or near the neck
- A feeling of doom
- Any signs of stroke or heart attack
Only a doctor can diagnose your neck injuries. You should always seek medical attention after any auto accident. Too often, seriously injured people make the mistake of dismissing their injuries as not serious — until it’s too late.
When in doubt, always seek medical attention. If you think you might be experiencing emergency symptoms, call 911 immediately.
Claiming Financial Compensation After a Neck Injury
Under California personal injury law, auto accident victims are entitled to comprehensive financial compensation for injuries that other drivers cause.
Did you know that the majority of car crashes in our state are caused by another driver’s negligence? Statistically speaking, if you’re experiencing neck-related symptoms after a car crash that wasn’t your fault, you may be entitled to monetary justice.
Available compensation could include reimbursement for:
- Medical expenses
- Time away from work
- Physical pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Physical therapy and rehabilitation
- Anticipated future damages as a result of the injury
The value of your claim would depend on the specific circumstances of your injury, but it isn’t uncommon for victims to underestimate the amount they’re owed.
If you are experiencing neck pain or other symptoms after a motor vehicle collision, we encourage you to contact our Bakersfield auto accident attorneys right away. While we can never guarantee a particular outcome, we can help you determine how much your case might be worth.
Talk to Our Bakersfield Wrongful Death Attorneys Today
Don’t trust an insurance company to look out for your best interests. On the contrary, California insurance providers are only concerned about one party’s financial interests — their own.
Sadly, insurers have a tendency to downplay neck injury claims, even when they are entirely valid. If you let them, the insurance company will almost certainly offer you less money than you deserve.
Our Bakersfield wrongful death attorneys can change their equation by fighting for your rights under the law. Once the insurers know that you have an experienced law firm on your side, they tend to negotiate more fairly. And if they don’t, we are always ready to take them to trial.
We offer contingency fee representation to Bakersfield neck accident victims. That means you don’t have to pay us one penny for our services unless (and until) we recover financial justice on your behalf.
These cases are time-sensitive, and strict statutes of limitations apply. Don’t delay. Give us a call, text us, or use our online form right away.