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Whiplash is one of the most painful injuries car accident victims suffer. Symptoms include neck stiffness, intense headaches, dizziness, and nausea. Someone suffering from whiplash might also have blurred vision or ringing in their ears, and it can be difficult to return to normal sleeping or living patterns.
Fortunately, Khan Injury Law, PLLC can step in and seek compensation for your whiplash injury. Below, our car accident lawyers look at the key factors which will determine how much compensation you might take home.
You Should Receive Money for Medical Care
Whiplash stretches muscles, ligaments, and tendons in the neck and upper shoulders—sometimes to the point where this soft tissue tears in two. These injuries cause intense pain. In severe whiplash, you might even fracture the vertebrae in your neck.
The main focus of whiplash treatment is to manage pain so you are comfortable while your body heals itself. Most pain management consists of painkillers and ice or heat. Over time, you will probably participate in physical therapy to reintroduce movement into your neck. In only the most extreme cases do you need surgery.
Add up all medical bills to treat your injury. Unless you were partially responsible for the accident, you should receive 100% of your medical care in compensation.
You Should Request Compensation for Lost Wages
It’s hard to work with whiplash. Most people need to move their heads in practically any job. Instead of working, you might rest and go to physical therapy for weeks or months. Headaches or dizziness can prevent you from standing for extended periods of time, so you might not even be able to work part-time.
You should receive compensation for your lost income. To calculate, multiply the numbers of weeks you missed by your weekly wage. If you missed 4 weeks and make $500 a week, you should receive $2,000.
You Can Receive Compensation for Pain and Suffering
Whiplash is painful and debilitating. Many people struggle to sleep at night, and they can fall into a funk because they can’t participate in their favorite hobbies. These types of harms also deserve compensation. In Washington, pain and suffering damages make up for the physical pain and emotional distress our clients feel.
How much can you receive? This will depend on several factors. First, the longer you feel pain, the more compensation you should receive. Second, the more disabling the whiplash, the more pain, and suffering. Unless your whiplash was truly minor, you should receive some funds to compensate for the pain.
Reduce Your Compensation by Your Fault
Under Washington law, your compensation is reduced by your degree of fault for the crash. If you were 0% at fault, you should receive full compensation for all losses—medical care, lost wages, and pain and suffering. However, if you were 20% at fault, your compensation is cut by 20%.
We can analyze whether you bear any fault for the crash. For example, you might have pulled directly in front of someone. Even though they were speeding, you are partially to blame as well. We always minimize our client’s responsibility as best we can to increase a settlement.
Call Us
Our Seattle car accident lawyers have helped many whiplash victims get what they are entitled to. Contact us to schedule a free consultation.
