Although rear-end collisions are often just minor annoyances for the parties involved, they can and often do result in serious injury from the impact of one vehicle slamming into the back of the other. That quick and sharp jerking motion of a vehicle’s occupant’s neck often causes a whiplash injury because of how the muscles, tendons, and bones are twisted and stressed.
If you have been involved in a rear-end crash and have suffered a whiplash injury, you should first seek medical help and then contact a Norfolk car accident attorney from Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp to find out how we can help.
Whiplash Symptoms
In some rear-end crashes, the symptoms of a whiplash injury are immediate and intense. But that is not always the case. It is often the case that victims do not feel or exhibit symptoms of an injury at the time of the accident and decline any kind of medical treatment by emergency responders at the scene. It is sometimes not until hours – or even days – later that the victim begins to feel the symptoms of the injuries. Some common signs that you may have sustained a whiplash injury include, but are not limited to:
- Arm pain
- Blurred vision
- Dizziness
- Headaches
- Jaw pain
- Lack of back or neck mobility
- Neck pain
- Numbness or tingling in the arms
- Ringing in the ears
- Shoulder pain
The severity of the injury depends on certain factors, including the type and severity of the crash impact, the age of the victim, and whether the victim had any past medical history of back or neck injuries.
Injury Liability
When there has been a rear-end collision, it is usually the case that the driver who rear-ended the other vehicle is the at-fault party. This is because the most common cause of these types of crashes is that the second driver is following too closely behind the other vehicle (tailgating), thereby not allowing enough space between vehicles if the first vehicle has to come to a sudden stop.
There are many reasons why the second driver may be guilty of tailgating. They may have been in a hurry and driving too closely in an effort to get the first driver to speed up (aggressive driving), or they could have been distracted (looking at their phone, etc.) and didn’t realize they were so close to the first vehicle. They may have been under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, causing their reaction time to be delayed and causing them to not stop in time.
Because the second driver was tailgating, which violates Virginia traffic laws, they would likely be considered at fault for the crash and held legally responsible for all of the proximate injuries and vehicle damage the other driver sustained. This can include medical expenses, loss of income, pain and suffering, and emotional anguish. If the injury is severe enough and leaves the victim with a permanent disability, they may be unable to go back to the profession they had before the crash and the at-fault driver could then be liable for loss of future income.
Call Our Personal Injury Law Firm for Legal Assistance
If you or a loved one has suffered a rear-end crash injury as a result of another party’s negligent or reckless actions, contact a Norfolk car accident attorney from Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp. We will evaluate your case and determine what legal options you may have for the losses you have suffered.
Call our office today to set up a free and confidential consultation with one of our attorneys. Our firm is dedicated to advocating for our clients and will work diligently to get you the financial compensation you deserve, like the $30,000 jury award we obtained for one client who suffered a whiplash injury in a chain-reaction crash.
For your convenience, we have offices in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Hampton, Portsmouth, Suffolk, and Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
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Andrew Stover limits his law practice exclusively to personal injury law. Andrew is a member of the American Association for Justice, the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association, and the Virginia Beach Bar Association.