One of the most common types of injuries that results from a car accident, especially a rear-end collision, is a whiplash injury. But rather than just causing harm to the soft tissues of the neck alone, a whiplash injury can also lead to a traumatic brain injury, or TBI. If you have been in a car accident, it is of critical importance that you seek medical care immediately following the crash to rule out the possibility of whiplash, a TBI, or both.

At the law offices of Buck, Toscano & Tereskerz, Ltd., our experienced car accident lawyers in Virginia can assist you if you’ve been seriously injured. Consider the following about how a whiplash brain injury occurs, and please reach out to us directly if you need legal counsel.

A whiplash injury occurs when the head is snapped back and forth in a forceful, rapid, whip-like manner. Typically happening when a vehicle is rear-ended (although this is by no means the only cause of a whiplash injury), the force of the accident causes the head to first move forward, and then snap back, resulting in strain on the soft tissues of the neck.

When this happens, the neck can be injured, leading to pain and immobility. But in addition, the force of the whiplash can be serious enough to cause the brain to slam into the wall of the skull, resulting in a traumatic brain injury. The most common type of brain injury that is caused by whiplash is a concussion. However, a coup-contrecoup injury, where the brain is injured on both sides of the brain when the brain strikes the skull, is also possible.

Whiplash can be a painful injury type to sustain, with the most common symptoms including chronic headaches, neck pain, stiffness, loss of range of motion of the neck, dizziness, numbness of the arms, soreness of the neck and shoulders, and even ringing in the ears, blurred vision, and sleep disturbances. The good news is that while a whiplash injury can take time to heal, once it does, a person will usually regain full mobility and move forward pain-free.

A traumatic brain injury, on the other hand, can be much more serious. The effects of a TBI vary greatly depending upon the severity of the injury; some of the most common include loss of consciousness, sleeping problems, mood disturbances, confusion, nausea, dizziness, cognitive problems, memory and reasoning complications, learning disabilities, speech and language problems, sensory complications, and more. Again, this is why it is so important to seek medical care after a car accident, even if you feel like you haven’t been seriously injured.

In the event that you have sustained a whiplash injury, a traumatic brain injury, or both in an accident that you do not believe was your fault in Virginia, you maintain the right to seek compensation by filing a claim against the insurance provider of the at-fault party. In order to recover your full damage amount, you will need to prove the fault of the other party, that your injuries would not have been sustained but for the party’s negligence, and the extent of your injuries. We can gather evidence from the crash scene on your behalf, as well as medical documents and your doctor’s statements regarding the severity of your injury.

Not only will we help you to prove fault and damages, but we can also assist you in fighting for your full recovery award. You deserve to not only be compensated for the full value of your medical expenses, but also any other economic and noneconomic damages you’ve suffered, including lost wages, property damage costs, long-term care expenses, and pain and suffering.

Our lawyers understand the life-changing effects that a car accident can have, especially if you have suffered a serious injury like whiplash or a traumatic brain injury. We are passionate about advocating for accident victims, and know how important it is that you recover the settlement amount that you deserve. When you call our law firm, we will go to bat for you, aggressively advocating for every penny you deserve. To learn more about our injury law firm and how we can help, please schedule a consultation by stopping by our Charlottesville office, calling our law firm directly at 434-977-7977, or sending us a message via the form on our website.

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