Whiplash
from a car accident

Whiplash most often occurs when a car is hit from the rear, causing the occupant’s head to be rapidly moved backwards, then forwards in a whip-like motion.

The physical trauma sustained from injuries involving a car accident can be severe. Broken bones, cuts and bruising are common injuries that can be debilitating in the short term, but sometimes there are injuries that are less obvious, and equally painful, which can remain problematic long after the superficial wounds have healed. Common among these is the injury known as ‘whiplash’.

Whiplash usually occurs when a car is hit from the rear, causing the occupant’s head to be rapidly moved backwards, then forwards in a whip-like motion. The medical term for this is Cervical Acceleration-Deceleration, or CAD. Symptoms of whiplash include chronic head pain, neck problems and other sensory disturbances. This neck soreness can linger and interfere with work and daily life for months, or even years, after an accident.

If this has happened to you, Maurice Blackburn Lawyers can advise and support you in obtaining your maximum legal compensation entitlement from injuries sustained in a car accident.

Maurice Blackburn Lawyers is committed to being Australia’s leading road accident injury law firm. We have exceptional expertise in this area of law, a strong history of successful cases and a full suite of legal services we can draw upon to help you in any circumstance.

We understand that getting injured on the can feel extremely unfair. It’s our mission to ensure you get your full compensation payout to help you get back to being you as soon as possible.

This depends on the State you are in.  In some States, you may be eligible for ‘no fault’ benefits, irrespective of how the accident occurred.These include all expenses for medical care, loss of income payments and other lump sum payments.

Beyond these easily measurable expenses, people in accidents often feel that further compensation is necessary to account for things like pain and suffering, ongoing loss of amenity, further loss of income or superannuation, and ongoing medical costs.

In some cases, you may have the option of suing the person at fault for these damages; however, there are differences in the Australian state and territory laws that need to be taken into account and strict time limits apply.

Time limits for making a claim for whiplash from a car accident differ according to your state or territory. You might have only as little as 28 days from the date of the accident to file a claim in some states, while others allow up to a year with the option to extend it to three.

Maurice Blackburn’s experienced road accident compensation attorneys will be able to advise you on these differences and help you make a claim.

As much as anyone in this situation would like to receive their compensation as quickly as possible, it’s important not to finalise a claim too early. The reason for this is that sometimes the full medical implications of injuries like whiplash don’t become obvious until a later date.

This is particularly the case with whiplash neck pain; it can take time for the injury to heal and for the full extent of loss of income or chronic medical expenses caused by the injury to be understood.

The average claim takes 1-3 years to resolve from the date of the accident.

Maurice Blackburn’s accident compensation lawyers can balance these needs for you, offer the best advice for your litigation timeline and, where appropriate, advocate for a quick resolution.