Whiplash is a common physical injury that often occurs when a person is struck from behind. The force and dynamics of the impact—which often produce a whip-like motion—can put a significant strain on your neck muscles, tendons and shoulders. Often, ligaments, muscles, spinal disks, and even bones can receive serious injury.
As we’ll discuss more in this article, whiplash is a serious condition that can turn your life upside down. If you think that you or a loved one might have whiplash due to the negligence of someone else, you need to contact a qualified Colorado Springs whiplash attorney immediately.
Understanding Whiplash Injuries: Causes, Effects, and Costs
People often imagine that whiplash is only caused by auto collisions. However, any kind of forceful impact can cause whiplash. Examples of specific situations that often cause whiplash include:
- Physical abuse or assault (i.e., being punched or shaken),
- Horse-riding injuries,
- Bicycle accidents, and
- Slipping and falling.
Slips and falls can also cause traumatic brain injury, creating potentially life-threatening situations. Yet potentially the worst thing about whiplash injuries is that they often don’t appear immediately. That’s one of the reasons why people write off whiplash injuries. Yet many whiplash injuries can take days or weeks to develop. In addition, the damage in your neck can lead to other conditions over time, such as nerve damage and spinal weakness. Fortunately, a Colorado Springs whiplash injury lawyer who has ample experience with whiplash cases will be able to give you more information about potential complications.
What to Do If You Have Experienced a Whiplash Injury
It’s important to take the following steps immediately if you think you have a whiplash injury.
#1: Evaluate Yourself and Seek Medical Attention
The first thing you should do after experiencing a forceful impact is check for potential symptoms of whiplash. Whiplash symptoms include:
- Pain in your neck;
- Neck stiffness;
- Loss of range of motion in the neck;
- Headaches, especially ones that start at the back of your skull;
- Tenderness or pain in the shoulder, upper back, or arms;
- Tingling or numbness, especially in your arms;
- Ringing in the ears;
- Difficulty concentrating; and
- Blurry vision.
Even if you don’t have any of these symptoms right after an incident, you should see a doctor immediately. Because whiplash symptoms can take months or years to appear, seeing a doctor immediately helps you confirm that you are physically fine. Alternatively, seeing a doctor can provide you with critical information if you have suffered an injury. This will help you receive better care. However, it will also allow your whiplash attorney in Colorado Springs to more closely tie your whiplash injury to the incident.
#2: Save All Evidence Related to the Incident that Caused Your Whiplash
This step is important regardless of whether your whiplash was caused by a blow to the head, a slip and fall incident, or a car accident. The exact relevant evidence that you’ll want will vary based on the specific incident. However, you should save things like official police reports, photographs of the scene, and witness contact information.
#3: Do Not Communicate with Any Third-Parties Without Legal Representation
It’s quite common for insurance companies to offer whiplash victims meager settlement offers after an accident. To accept these monetary offers, you usually have to forfeit any and all claims you have against the company. Insurance company personnel can also try to use your communications with them to dispute or deny your claim. For all those reasons, contact a lawyer for whiplash injuries in Colorado Springs first.
While you have a duty to cooperate with your own insurance company, you have no duty to cooperate with the other driver’s insurance company. Always seek the advice of a trained injury lawyer before giving a statement to the other driver’s insurance company.
Two Critical Reasons Why You Need to Contact an Attorney for Whiplash Injuries in Colorado Springs
People tend to dismiss whiplash injuries as things that can resolve themselves. In addition, people are often reluctant to take the time to consult an attorney. However, it’s vital that you contact a trained and reputable attorney; here are two main reasons why.
Reason #1: An Attorney Knows the Law and How It Applies to Your Case
Even if your case is pretty simple, the applicable laws are quite complicated. This means that cases with similar facts can have completely different outcomes. Because of their legal training and experience, an attorney can apply Colorado law to your unique case. On top of that, they can use their knowledge of legal proceedings to help you gather evidence, strengthen your case, and defend your rights.
Reason #2: An Attorney Can Help You Defend Yourself Against Other Parties
It’s highly likely that you’ll have to deal with other parties after suffering a whiplash injury. Whether these parties are property owners, other drivers, hospitals, or insurance companies, you will have to protect your rights. These parties usually have adverse interests to you and are willing to use underhanded tactics to get their way. They can be especially aggressive if they know you are unrepresented by an attorney. A qualified whiplash injury lawyer practicing in Colorado Springs, on the other hand, can help you turn the tables on these parties and ensure that you get fair treatment.
Why You Should Choose Our Firm to Represent You
Picking the right attorney is essential for your case. You must hire a Colorado Springs whiplash lawyer with lots of experience. In addition, it’s best to pick an attorney who is familiar with the Colorado Springs/Front Range area. It might surprise you, but not all attorneys who practice in Colorado Springs are familiar with the city or know it well. Finally, it’s vital that you pick an attorney with a good track record of success and a great reputation for client care.
Here at McCormick & Murphy, P.C, our two Colorado Springs whiplash lawyers are highly experienced. Combined, they have over half a century of combined legal experience. They are also deeply familiar with the area. In fact, they have two offices along the Front Range, and often handle cases in Denver in both State and Federal Court.
Unlike some other attorneys, we’re good at helping our clients win. Furthermore, we make every effort to treat our clients as individuals rather than numbers. That’s just one of the many reasons why they love to talk about how satisfied they are with our firm.
Let a Knowledgeable Colorado Springs Whiplash Lawyer Help You Today
At McCormick & Murphy, P.C, not only do we know how to win for our clients, we are also truly passionate about making sure that they obtain fair compensation for their whiplash injuries. If you’re suffering from whiplash, we want to help make you whole and get your life back on track.
To show our dedication to our clients, we operate on a contingency basis. This means that you don’t have to pay us upfront when you set up a consultation. Instead, you only have to pay us if you win your case. If we aren’t able to help you triumph in court, you won’t pay anything.
There’s no reason to risk missing out on getting justice. So don’t wait. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation.