How Long Do Whiplash Claims Take to Settle?
October 23, 2019 | Catastrophic Injuries
More than 3 million people in the U.S. suffer whiplash after a car accident. Whiplash is often challenging to diagnose, can cause severe back, neck, and head pain, and in some cases, can lead to long-term injuries, such as chronic pain, stiffness, and loss of coordination. If you were injured in a car accident and think that you might have suffered whiplash injuries, you need to consult an experienced lawyer immediately about your case. A St. Louis Whiplash Injury Lawyer can help you get a prognosis for your car accident injuries, file a compelling claim for damages, and offer insight on how long it takes for whiplash claims to settle in Missouri.
Symptoms of Whiplash
One of the most common injuries reported after a traumatic accident is whiplash. Whiplash is damage to the soft tissue in the neck and is often called neck sprain or strain. Whiplash injuries can vary in severity, but most cases of whiplash heal on their own within several weeks. However, in severe motor vehicle accidents, whiplash can cause chronic injuries, such as memory loss, loss of focus, and mobility issues. Common symptoms of whiplash after an accident include:
- Neck stiffness or pain
- Headaches or migraines
- Nausea, vomiting, irritability, or dizziness
- Ringing in the ears or vertigo
- Numbness or loss of sensation in the shoulders, arm, or hands
- Loss of concentration, difficulty thinking, or memory loss
According to bodily injury statistics reported by the UBC Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, whiplash injuries account for more than 65% of bodily injury claims after motor vehicle accidents, sports accidents, and unintentional injury accidents involving blunt-force trauma to the chest, neck, or head.
Missouri Whiplash Settlements
Missouri’s whiplash settlements are based on many different factors. Generally, factors include the severity of the person’s injuries, the general outlook of injuries (temporary or permanent), if treatment was sought-right after the accident, and if the victim has a pre-existing condition.
Recovering a Missouri whiplash settlement requires adequate knowledge of Missouri’s laws, which fall under Pure Comparative Negligence. In Missouri, an at-fault state, if someone is responsible for the harm or losses of another individual, they are required to compensate the victim for damages. If the at-fault party refuses to acknowledge the victim’s whiplash injury claim, the victim can sue the negligent party for damages and take their claim to court, which can take more time and money to settle than negotiating a settlement.
Typically, whiplash injury settlements in St. Louis settle in a matter of months and include compensation for medical expenses, pain and suffering, loss of income, property damage, and other harm and losses that resulted from the accident, but this can vary from case to case.
How Can a Missouri Whiplash Settlement Lawyer Help With My Case?
The best way to recover a settlement for your whiplash injury claim is to hire a Missouri Whiplash Injury Lawyer to represent your case. Often, by not hiring an experienced attorney to defend your case, you can put yourself at risk of accepting a lower settlement than you deserve. A Missouri Whiplash Settlement Lawyer can negotiate with the other party’s insurance company for the highest settlement, push back if the insurer tries to offer a lower settlement, and keep you updated on the status of your case.
When you need a St. Louis Whiplash Injury Settlement Lawyer to represent your case, you need Christopher Dixon by your side. Chris Dixon’s efforts have recovered over $35,000,000 in settlements for injury claims in Missouri and earned recognition as a “Top 100 Trial Lawyer” from the National Trial Lawyers Association. By choosing the Dixon Injury Firm to represent your case, you are choosing attorneys that care about your well-being, the outlook of your Missouri whiplash claim, and will do everything in their power to recover the most compensation for damages.
For more information on how the Dixon Injury Firm can settle your whiplash claim in Missouri as quickly as possible, for the most damages, call (314) 208-2808 or contact our Whiplash Injury Settlement Lawyers in St. Louis now for a free case review.