One of the most common injuries suffered in a car accident is whiplash. Whiplash is basically a neck strain. Although it can be painful, there is actually no treatment for whiplash. All your doctor will do is give you a neck brace. He may prescribe some mild painkillers as well.
The problem with whiplash is that there’s no way to prove you have it. It’s not going to show up in an x-ray or MRI. The only way to prove you have it is through your doctor’s testimony. Based on your symptoms, a doctor can confirm you have whiplash.
Whiplash usually heals itself rather quickly. It often resolves itself within a few days or weeks at most. Very rarely does it last longer than that. A lot of people don’t even miss any work due to their whiplash. They just have to deal with the discomfort for a while.
Proving whiplash can be even harder if it doesn’t show up for a while after your car accident. If you find out you’re injured months after your accident takes place, you’ll need to contact a car accident attorney in Atlanta.
How Can Your Atlanta Car Accident Attorney Prove You Have Whiplash?
Very few lawsuits claim whiplash as the only injury. Usually, whiplash is just one of many injuries. Unfortunately, whiplash is one of the hardest to prove. You have nothing to go on other than your doctor’s medical notes.
It’s hard enough to prove whiplash immediately after your accident. It gets even harder once time goes by. It’s very rare that you wouldn’t notice whiplash for months. If you have it, you should feel it within a day or two of your accident.
The more time that goes by between your accident and your injuries makes it harder to prove. This is because the defendant will claim that your injuries were caused some other way. For example, let’s say you get into a car accident in May. You don’t report having whiplash until August.
In the meantime, you live your life. You go to work. You go on vacation. You go bungee jumping. The defendant will claim that it was the bungee jumping that caused your whiplash and not the car accident.
Can Your Atlanta Car Accident Attorney Still Settle Your Claim?
Most car accident cases settle. Very rarely do these cases go to trial. The same is true for whiplash claims. Your attorney is going to work hard to settle your case out of court. As long as your injuries show up before the settlement, your lawyer can try to get you compensation.
The problem will be if whiplash makes up the bulk of your claim. A lot of attorneys aren’t going to take a car accident case with no real injuries. If it takes months for your whiplash to show up, you may have a hard time finding an attorney to take your case.
Whiplash claims aren’t worth very much. In fact, most settle for less than $5,000. If there are going to be problems proving your case, a lawyer may be hesitant to accept your case.
However, if your claim includes more than a whiplash claim, there’s no reason why you can’t settle your case. Your lawyer will work hard with the defendant’s lawyer to reach an agreement. If whiplash shows up later in your case, your lawyer will just increase the amount he asks for in a settlement.
Contact a Georgia Car Accident Attorney Today
If you’ve been injured in a car accident, you should contact a Georgia car accident attorney today. Your car accident attorney will handle the legal side of things while you recover from your injuries. He’ll work hard to get you the money you deserve.
There’s always the chance that more injuries will pop up throughout the life of your lawsuit. Some injuries take a while to develop. Or, the injury was there but you didn’t realize it for a while. As long as it appears before the statute of limitations runs, you should be able to include it in your claim.
The statute of limitations in Georgia is two (2) years. This means you have to file suit before two years are up. If you don’t your claim will be barred. If your whiplash or other injuries don’t appear for months after your accident, it’ll still be within this statute.
Call and speak with an aggressive injury law firm in Georgia today. The consultation is free and you pay nothing until you settle your case.
