Some men and women are skeptical about whiplash. They think too many people claim to have this injury after a rear-end car collision in the hope of receiving an insurance settlement. A Dallas lawyer, however, understands that this injury is very common because of the way the human body moves when the car is struck forcefully from behind. If the automotive insurance company denies the claim, hiring legal representation may be necessary.
Relevant Statistics
About 3 million people develop whiplash every year, according to the National Institutes of Health. One main problem with making an insurance claim is that symptoms may not occur for more than a week. That leads adjusters to be suspicious about the claim, especially since more than half of the car accident injury claims they view involve whiplash.
Speed Considerations
Insurance adjusters may dispute the claim if they believe their policyholder was traveling too slowly to cause a whiplash injury. Yet statistics show that most whiplash injuries occur when the at-fault driver was moving at 15 miles per hour or less. The lowest speed that can cause this type of harm appears to be 5 miles per hour. Healthcare providers refer to these injury-causing incidents as low-speed rear-impact collisions. Millions of people suffer from chronic or intermittent neck pain after this type of crash.
Restraints and Headrests
In many cases, the head and neck are not as well protected as the rest of the body. There is no belt holding them in place, and often, the headrest is in the wrong position. Many vehicles simply have seats without an adjustable headrest. The rest of the body may remain almost completely in place while the head moves rapidly backward and then forward.
Amount of Vehicle Damage
The insurer may consider the amount of vehicle damage when determining whether or not the claimant is being truthful about experiencing whiplash. This is not a valid method of verification, though. Researchers have confirmed that the amount of damage to either vehicle is not always connected with the harm caused to people inside. Some cars can withstand a rear-end collision much better than others.