Whiplash occurs when the soft tissue in the spine is stretched and strained after the body is thrown in a sudden, forceful jerk. The injury most commonly occurs in car crashes involving sudden deceleration, but the injury can also occur in other strenuous physical activities such as diving.

What does whiplash feel like?
The most frequent complaints are headaches and stiffness in the neck and the back of the head. These symptoms appear within the first couple of days after the accident and usually pass after a few days to a few weeks.

What should I do if I think I have whiplash?
After a car accident or some other injury that could cause whiplash, if you feel neck pain, you should be checked by your doctor, in order to rule out anything more serious. Whiplash can appear up to a couple of weeks following the initial injury as it is an injury that affects the muscles and tissues but can take a while to manifest.

Symptoms of whiplash include pain in the neck, back, shoulders, or arm. You could feel dizzy, fatigued, and have trouble with your memory. If you do have whiplash, your doctor will probably suggest light muscle exercises, and a dose of painkillers. These will help to relive the pain and discomfort you are probably experiencing

How to make a whiplash claim?
If you have suffered from a whiplash injury which was not your fault, making a whiplash claim is a simple process.

The first stage in making a whiplash claim is to call one of our qualified staff who assess the merits of your claim. This talk will not last very long at all and the claims executive will discuss your whiplash injury and the details of your accident including any medical treatment you have sought.

If you have any questions about how to make a whiplash claim we will also be able to guide you through the process. Once we have established that you have grounds for a claim for whiplash compensation we will contact one of our specialist solicitors. They will want to verify at the very least that:

• Your accident happened within the past three years,
• That you suffered a whiplash injury, or any other injuries, as a result of this accident.
• That someone else was at fault for your accident.

Limitation period to bring a claim
If you have recently suffered a whiplash injury, then you have a period of 3 years from the date of the injury in which to bring proceedings to court. If you fail to bring your whiplash compensation claim to the courts within this time you will have forfeited your right to make a claim.