Whiplash injury

Whiplash injury is often sustained by both drivers and/or passengers involved in accidents on our roads. It can occur in rear-end and front-end accidents involving both high and low impact speeds, and causes the victim to suffer from aches and pains of varying severity in and around the neck, back and shoulder area.

What causes whiplash?

In a frontal impact, the whiplash injury occurs because the vehicle suddenly loses all of its forward speed and decelerates rapidly during the impact. The occupants body is secured by the seat belt, but the head is not, and so the inertia propels the head forwards and then rapidly backwards in a 'whiplash' motion. The speed at which this occurs will generally dictate the severity of the whiplash injury.

Whiplash severity

At low impact speeds it is rare for bones in the neck to be damaged when a whiplash injury occurs. Generally it's the neck muscles, joints and ligaments which suffer the most from the effects of a whiplash-type injury and this can often cause a great deal discomfort. Other symptoms of a whiplash injury can include neck pain, restricted neck movement, headaches and back pain.

At higher impact speeds it is possible that more serious conditions such as fractured vertebrae and herniated discs can also occur.

If you believe you have sustained any type of injury following a road accident you should always seek professional medical advice to ensure that you receive the correct treatment for your condition.

If you would like to make an injury claim please click here for more information.

We can help provide repairs and a comparable replacement hire-car. If you have had an accident that was not your fault, we can provide these services for you absolutely free because we claim all our costs back directly from the at-fault party's insurance company.

For more information please ring 0845 6768898 or complete our online claim form.