Don’t Wait Too Long: Kansas Whiplash Injuries are Serious

We’ve all heard of whiplash, but few of us really understand what it is or how it occurs. This is a short summary, based on mounds of research, explaining why even small auto accidents (such as being struck from behind at low speeds) can have a large impact.

The injury of whiplash is due to the force of the victim’s neck moving backward and then snapping forward. The neck goes from bending backwards to snapping forward to snapping back again all in less than a second. The force to the neck in an accident at 5 mph can be up to 5 times the weight of the head! Often that is simply more than our poor neck muscles can take. And often necks are not the only body part that can’t keep up; the force of impact can even cause brain contusions (small bruises) as our most important organ is thrown forward inside our skulls!

Like many injuries that occur in stress-filled situations, symptoms of whiplash usually do not show up immediately. They often take 24 to 72 hours to develop. Common symptoms following a whiplash-type accident are:

1. Pain to neck, back and shoulders,
2. Headache,
3. Blurred vision,
4. Dizziness,
5. Loss of taste, smell or hearing,
6. Numbness or tingling,
7. Swelling
8. Loss of motion to the hurt area
9. Stiffness and tightness to the hurt area
10. Bruising
11. Shoulder and arm pain
12. Jaw pain.

If you or a loved one is in need of legal assistance, call Ray Hodge & Associates at (316)269-1414. The initial consultation is free of charge, and if we agree to handle your case, we will work on a contingency fee basis, which means we get paid for our services only if we recover money on your behalf. In many cases, a lawsuit must be filed before an applicable expiration date, known as a statute of limitations. Please call right away to ensure that you do not waive your rights.

Ray Hodge & Associates proudly represents victims and their families across the state of Kansas, including Wichita, Andover, Derby, Goddard, Haysville, Mulvane, Rose Hill, Newton, El Dorado and Hutchinson. Call today for a free consultation all over the state of Kansas. We have proudly served clients in Sedgwick, Butler, Sumner, Harvey, Kingman and Reno Counties.