Pursuing compensation following a car accident in Naples may seem to be a complicated and involved process. This perception may prompt you to want to avoid seeking any action after having been in an accident, especially if the collision occurred at a low speed and resulted in no apparent damages to your vehicle. You may feel little more than simple stiffness (or perhaps have no initial ill effects at all), which might serve to convince your further to simply let the incident go and not even file an insurance claim. This is a decision that, if made, you may come to regret when it is discovered that you are suffering from a whiplash injury.
Whiplash is an injury to the bones, tendons, muscles or nerves to the neck, spine or back that occurs when your head is thrown forward and the suddenly snapped back (which often occurs in rear-end collisions). According to the website HealthDay.com, common symptoms of whiplash include:
- Neck, back, shoulder, arm or jaw stiffness or pain
- Headaches, dizziness or vertigo
- Blurred vision
- Ringing in the ears
- Cognitive issues
- Numbness in the hands, arms or shoulders
Other, more subtle symptoms of whiplash may include depression, fatigue, difficulty sleeping and irritability.
You may suffer a whiplash injury and not even feel it initially. In fact, it may take up to 48 hours to set in. Once they do set in, however, they can sometimes endure for up to one year. Many often think that such an injury can only occur when one is struck by a vehicle traveling at a high speed. Research has shown, however, that collisions in which the striking car is only traveling at 5 mph.