Too often, a whiplash injury claim is disregarded. It is often considered minor but victims should realise that the long-term consequences of the injury can mean that a whiplash claim can bring considerable accident compensation, despite what accident claim solicitors might say to the contrary.

Overlooking the consequences of a whiplash injury could lead to long-term unhappiness. The whiplash injury itself is an injury to the neck. The neck is an area that stores all neural messages and nutrient-giving blood cells travel to and from the brain and the rest of the body. This might sound complicated but identifies just how complicated the pains you might suffer can be. What might start as a niggling injury could lead to serious discomfort in the long run and even culminate in not being able to do your job properly and generally can result in a significant burden of disability and health care utilisation.

Prospective claimants often worry about how much compensation they might receive as a result of a whiplash claim where they were not at fault, with some worried they may get nothing at all. The level of compensation entitlement depends on several major factors such as the nature and extent of your injuries, the social effects of your injuries and the financial losses you have suffered.

Whiplash claims do not just involve the exact nature of the injury itself and its direct effects but also incidental losses. So you may also be entitled to claim for loss of earnings, treatment charges, loss of vehicle use and even damage to clothing and personal effects.

Again it is not wise to completely ignore a whiplash injury no matter how slight it might seem right after the incident. The symptoms of whiplash may include neck pain, tenderness and stiffness, headache, dizziness, nausea, shoulder and/or arm pain, blurred vision, and in rare cases difficulty swallowing. Symptoms may appear as quickly as two hours following injury.

Also, age and pre-existing health conditions (e.g. arthritis) may increase the severity of whiplash. As people age range of motion declines, muscles lose flexibility and strength, and discs in the spine and ligaments lose some of their elasticity

Muscle tears usually present themselves with burning pain accompanied by tingling sensations. Ligaments affected by excessive joint movement can cause muscles to defensively tighten limiting motion.

If you have been in an accident recently and injured yourself through no fault of your own, it would be in your best interests to get yourself checked out by a doctor as quickly as possible and address the matter legally by bringing a whiplash claim with a solicitor.