A whiplash injury is a type of soft tissue injury that drivers and passengers often sustain in motor vehicle accidents. These injuries can result in both short and long-term symptoms, such as neck pain, dizziness, fatigue, blurry vision, depression, and memory problems. Whiplash injuries can also affect a person’s ability to work and many other aspects of a person’s life.

If you sustained an injury as a result of your accident, it is important to seek immediate medical treatment and file your claim as soon as possible. Let a whiplash injury lawyer at Brylak Law help you obtain the medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering damages that you need and deserve.

Seek Immediate Medical Treatment

You should seek immediate medical treatment following your accident since many soft tissue injuries, including whiplash injuries, do not manifest themselves for hours – or even days – after an accident. Additionally, insurance companies often view whiplash and other soft tissue injuries skeptically. This is why you should file a claim as soon as possible, treat conservatively, collect medical documentation, and keep track of your lost wages. Seeking immediate follow-up medical care also shows the insurance company that you are taking your treatment seriously and that you did, in fact, sustain a whiplash injury.

Your treating physician will be able to look for and treat whiplash symptoms, including the following:

• Arm numbness
• Shoulder, arm, and upper back pain
• Neck pain (especially upon movement)
• Limited neck range of motion

An ER doctor may also be able to rule out preexisting medical conditions or degenerative changes as the cause of your whiplash injury. Your whiplash injury lawyer may tell you that this is useful if you decide to file a claim later to receive compensation for your injuries.

File a Claim with the Insurance Company

Insurance companies impose deadlines for filing claims. Consequently, you should fail a claim as soon as possible after your accident. Under Texas law, the at-fault party is responsible for compensating you for personal injuries and other damages sustained in an accident.

When you contact the insurance company, you should make sure to do the following:

• Inform the insurer of the date, time, and location of the accident.
• Do not state any opinions or offer any commentary about the accident or your perceived injuries.
• Do not describe your injuries, symptoms, or pain levels.
• Do not admit full or partial responsibility for the accident.
• Do not agree to give a recorded statement or undergo an independent medical examination (more accurately known as a defense medical examination).

If you have just been injured in a car accident and would like guidance on what your next steps should be, contact the whiplash injury lawyer at Brylak Law for a free case evaluation.

Treat Consistently for Your Whiplash Injury

Following your initial treatment at a hospital or urgent care facility, you should comply with all of the ER doctor’s treatment recommendations. This includes seeking follow-up medical care at another facility, limiting your activities, visiting a specialist, or following up with your primary care doctor. By complying with these treatment recommendations, you will show the insurance company that you are taking your whiplash injury and treatment seriously.

Collect All Medical Documentation

While your personal injury claim is pending, you should collect as much of your medical documentation as possible to bring to your whiplash injury lawyer. This documentation includes all emergency room and urgent care records and all records from your subsequent doctor visits.

It is also a good idea to collect any medical records from the weeks and months immediately prior to your accident. This may allow the insurance company to rule out prior injuries, preexisting medical conditions, and degenerative changes as the cause of your whiplash injury.

You should also obtain copies of any imaging studies performed, including x-rays, MRIs, CT scans, blood tests, and prescriptions. Finally, be sure to obtain copies of all receipts and bills from your doctor appointments and medical tests.

Lost Wage Documentation

In some cases, a whiplash injury will cause a person to miss time from work. If you have missed time from work as a result of your injury, you may be able to recover monetary compensation. You should ask your employer to create a lost wage statement which details your work hours, salary, and earnings missed while you were recovering from your injuries and attending medical or physical therapy appointments.

Proper documentation is necessary in order for the insurance company to properly evaluate your lost wage claim and award you monetary compensation.

Contact a San Antonio Whiplash Injury Lawyer Today for a Free Initial Consultation

If you have sustained a whiplash injury in a motor vehicle accident and are overwhelmed with that to do next, talk to a whiplash injury lawyer at Brylak Law today. A skilled personal injury lawyer will be able to negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf, ensure that all of your legal rights are protected, and litigate your case through the Texas court system, if necessary.

The lawyers at Brylak Law are prepared to represent you throughout your personal injury case. You can contact a whiplash injury lawyer at Brylak Law by calling (866) 496-3815, for a free initial consultation.