It’s become a personal injury cliché: On some street in Buffalo, a driver lightly bumps the car ahead of him at a stoplight and the other driver jumps out holding his neck and shouting, “Whiplash!” He then sues the other driver.
It is unfortunate the whiplash has become a word so associated with false claims of injury. Whiplash is an actual medical term referring to a hyperextension or over-extension injury to the neck. It is thought to be brought about when a person’s body is pushed violently forward but the head remains behind momentarily. This causes the head to rock up and back, which may lead to stretching or tearing of some muscles and ligaments in the neck.
These muscles, in response to the injury, contract to bring the head forward again and prevent excessive injury. Unfortunately, in situations such as automobile accidents where the body is rapidly decelerating, this may result in the head being rocked violently forward. This can cause even more stretching and tearing of muscles and ligaments in the neck.
Obviously, this type of injury can easily occur in a rear-end collision and should be taken seriously. If you have suffered a neck injury in a car accident and need advice, please feel free to call my office at 716-542-5444. We would be happy to help you.
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