subject: Claiming Compensation for Whiplash [print this page] Claiming compensation for whiplash injury is easy given that you have the right kind of evidences in your disposal and a trustworthy whiplash claims solicitor. Accidents cannot be stopped if it happens; we just need to be more careful if we are on the road. But even if we need extra precautions accidents still occur. So if you've been a victim of a car related accident and you want to claim for whiplash injury, the best way to do is to look out for a competent solicitor to help you with your claim and to gather as much evidence as possible in order to increase your chances of winning.
Symptoms of a whiplash injury will not manifest itself usually right after the accident. It normally occurs 1 to 2 days after the accident happened. Such symptoms may include the following:
- pain in the neck region
- headaches characterized with intermittent pains all over the head especially on the back part, the forehead and behind the eyes
- pain in the back region
- all of the above mentioned symptoms
You may think that claiming compensation for whiplash injury is difficult because the symptoms do not show immediately after the accident took place. It might be if you didn't follow the required procedures in securing evidences for making claims in the future. Here are the steps to follow in order to be prepared for a possible whiplash injury claim.
1. Seek medical assistance immediately.
If you think that you are not injured after a road traffic accident, don't take it for granted. Go to the nearest hospital and have you examined by a doctor. Whiplash symptoms show commonly on the day after the accident and if you'll wait for these symptoms to occur before going to a doctor then the chance of the defendant to imply that you got it from another source will be bigger. So it will be for your own benefit if you'll go to a doctor quickly after the incident.
After a complete evaluation, you should request a copy of a medical certificate from your doctor. Ask them if they believe that you are prone to whiplash injury because of the incident. This is to squash any contest to the claim you're making in the future. This will render the culprit helpless against the evidence against them.
Once the whiplash injury symptoms show up, make sure to go back to the doctor who examined you and let them check your injury. Let them make another medical certificate indicating that the accident was indeed the source of the whiplash. You have two medical certificates to show to the court and it will be really helpful to make your claim successful.
2. List all the significant details you remember from the car accident
As soon as you get home, don't forget to record the details you believe are significant. List the date and time when the accident took place, where it happened, weather and road conditions, the names and phone numbers of the witnesses and the names and contact details of the other driver involved. If you have a camera during the time of the incident, it would be prudent to take pictures of the accident scene.
As long as you followed the instructions above, claiming for whiplash injury won't be too difficult for you and your solicitor. So make sure to be alert enough to do the above mentioned steps when you've been involved in a car accident.
