Car accidents happen fast, but their effects can linger for a long time. One of the most common and painful injuries that drivers and passengers suffer after a car or truck crash is a neck injury, especially “whiplash.”
While a mild case of whiplash might get better on its own, more serious neck injuries can completely disrupt your life. Chronic pain, reduced mobility, and sky-high medical bills are just the start.
If you’ve been hurt because of someone else’s carelessness, you might have the right to file a personal injury claim and hold them accountable. A skilled Santa Clarita Personal Injury Attorney can help you through this process and fight for the compensation you deserve.
Let’s take a closer look at common neck injuries, what causes them, and how you can pursue a claim if someone else is responsible.
Common Types of Neck Injuries
Neck injuries can range from minor to severe, depending on the circumstances of the accident. Here are some of the most frequent ones:
Whiplash
A classic rear-end collision injury, a whiplash injury occurs when your head is forcefully jerked back and forth, like a whip. In addition to car accidents, this type of injury can occur during falls, sports injuries, or assaults. Common symptoms include:
- Neck stiffness,
- Headaches,
- Shoulder or upper back pain,
- Numbness or tingling in the arms, and
- Limited range of motion
Neck Sprains and Strains
These types of injuries occur when the muscles, tendons, or ligaments in your neck get overstretched or torn, often after sudden movement, falls, or jerky impacts. Symptoms include
- Stiffness,
- Pain,
- Swelling, and
- Difficulty turning your head.
While some heal with rest, others may require medical treatment.
Herniated Disc
This injury is on the severe side of neck injuries. Such an injury occurs when one of the spinal discs gets damaged, causing the soft center to press on nearby nerves. It can cause
- Sharp pain,
- Tingling, and/or
- Weakness in the limbs.
Physical therapy may help, but more severe cases could require surgery.
Cervical Fractures
Neck fractures are serious and often need immediate medical care. If you’ve got severe neck pain, trouble moving your neck, and/or issues with balance, get checked out right away.
Spinal Cord Injuries
This is the most serious type of neck injury. If the spinal cord is damaged during a car collision, it can lead to partial or total paralysis. These injuries are often permanent and require lifelong care and support.
If you’ve experienced any of these symptoms, don’t wait. Get medical attention and reach out to a trusted Santa Clarita Personal Injury Attorney who can help you figure out your next steps.
What Causes Neck Injuries Like These?
Sure, you can get a sore neck from sleeping in a weird position—but serious neck injuries usually stem from something much more dramatic. Often, they are the result of someone else’s negligence. Some common causes include:
- Car accidents;
- Truck accidents;
- Motorcycle accidents;
- Bicycle accidents;
- Pedestrian accidents;
- Construction site accidents; and
- Slip-and-fall incidents.
If your injury happened because someone failed to act responsibly, you could be eligible for compensation, and a Santa Clarita Personal Injury Attorney can help determine if you have a case.
What Are the Different Types of Compensation
Neck injuries often come with more than just physical pain. They can impact your finances, work, and overall quality of life. Depending on the type of accident, the severity of the accident, and your injuries, you may be able to recover compensation for:
- Past and future medical bills;
- Lost income and reduced ability to work;
- Pain and suffering. This includes inconvenience and a reduced quality of life.
When we speak with a prospective client, we are sometimes asked: “How much will I get? How much is my case worth?”
Any attorney who, at the beginning stage of your case, gives you a number as to how much you should expect or what your case is worth, is NOT an ethical attorney because compensation cannot be determined until the latter part of your case, after you have finished your treatment, until we have a complete picture of your injuries, until we have a complete picture of your past and future treatment, and until we have gathered all of your medical bills and expenses. There are some attorneys and firms out there that claim to know how much your case is worth at the beginning of your case. The is a ploy to get you to sign up with them!
Compensation depends on many factors:
1. What are your injuries?
2. How much are your medical bills?
3. Did you miss time from work?
4. Do you need future treatment?
5. How did your injuries affect your day-to-day life?
6. Where did the accident occur? This makes a difference because Los Angeles County jurors are generally more favorable to Plaintiffs when compared to Orange County jurors and Ventura County jurors.
7. Who is the at-fault party’s insurance company?
8. Who is the adjuster from the at-fault insurance company? This also makes a difference because different offices from the same insurance company handle personal cases differently, and even adjusters from the same office handle them differently.
9. Did you have any pre-existing conditions that made you prone to your injuries or became worse after the accident?
10. What kind of a witness will you make? This is very important because the more favorable you are as a witness, the better you present before a jury, and hence, the value of your cases increases.
11. Is there anything significant going on in the world? Yes, what happens outside of your case affects your case. What happens in the stock market affects how insurance companies handle their claims. Just remember “the Pandemic.” Claims handling changed once the Pandemic occurred.
A knowledgeable Personal Injury Attorney can help you assess your claim at the correct time and guide you through the legal process.
Why Having the Right Attorney Matters
Filing a personal injury claim isn’t just about submitting paperwork—it takes experience, strategy, and a thorough understanding of personal injury law. You want someone on your side who knows how to handle serious injury cases and get results.
How The Mason Law Firm Can Help
At The Mason Law Firm, we understand how devastating a neck injury can be. We’ve helped countless clients in situations just like yours—whether you’re recovering from an accident, a slip and fall incident, or another traumatic event.
If you’re looking for a local advocate, our team includes experienced Santa Clarita Personal Injury Attorneys and San Fernando Valley Personal Injury Attorneys ready to take on your case. While you focus on getting better, we’ll take care of the legal side—fighting to get properly compensated.
We take matters throughout California, including Los Angles (Los Angeles County Personal Injury and Los Angeles County Accident Attorney), Santa Clarita Valley (Santa Clarita Valley Personal Injury and Santa Clarita Accident Attorney), San Fernando Valley (San Fernando Valley Personal Injury and San Fernando Valley Accident Attorney), and Antelope Valley (Lancaster and Palmdale Personal Injury and Accident Attorney).
If you are injured in an accident or a slip and fall, please feel free to contact us for a free consultation. We work on contingency. So, there is never any out-of-pocket fees or expenses for our clients. You can reach us at (661) 476-5678, or by simply filling out our contact page by clicking here.
Just remember: there’s a time limit to file a personal injury claim, so don’t wait. Reach out today for a free consultation to see if you have a case.