This is a reply to a previous blog question to illustrate the truth about low damage auto collisions. This information may be used by auto accident victims representing themselves or his/her attorney trying to negotiate a settlement. Lastly, it can be helpful to remind doctors treating these cases, to take them seriously and rather than just disregard chronic complaints after a low speed auto crash, to investigate further.
Sorry to hear of your troubles. It’s a common one. A big problem is that accident victims’ attorneys and doctors do not understand the scope and severity of injuries from low-speed collision so they discount them. That only emboldens the insurance co’s further. Her’s the proof of their deceit; I have many cases that involve completely destroyed vehicles and the insurance co’s still say the patient can’t be hurt that bad… They will fight over every accident, low impact or not. It’s up to the attorneys and doctors to fight for the patient and not accept less.
Right off the bat, I can tell you, you had several “accident intensifiers” at the time of the collision that make a seemingly “low impact” collision cause more severe bodily injury:
- Female occupant: smaller, thinner joint cartilage increases risk of initial damage, while women statistically have longer periods of treatment and increased risk of long-term pain, headaches, nausea, numbness and tingling compared to men
- Head restraint position: the vast majority of people do not have their head restraint positioned properly because it was not manufactured correctly.
- Surprised: if you did not brace by sticking both arms out hard on steering wheel and plant both feet hard to the floor and on your brakes then you stand a 15X greater chance of injury
Has your doctor shown you your x-rays? Is your neck curve straightened? Did he/she do bending films and show any signs of abnormal slippage of the bones due to torn ligaments? These are a few things to look into.
Important to remember: “Low vehicle damage” does NOT mean “low impact.” Vehicle damage means nothing. Unfortunately your attorney may have bought into the “no crash no cash’ position successfully perpetrated on all of us by the insurance co’s. No scientific paper has found a link between the two. But many studies have proven the opposite. Most injuries occur at relatively low speeds <12 mph. Some cars can be crashed at 20 mph and not show any signs of damage while the majority of cars require impacts of 10 mph+ to show damage. BUT the human threshold for injury is only 2.5 mph. A crash of only 10mph is 4X the threshold for injury!
If you haven’t already done so, go sign up for my free online video seminar: The Truth About Whiplash or at http://orange-car-accident.com Sounds like your attorney might also want to check it out. It’s based on info I have lectured to doctors and attorneys from oakwood legal group lip specializing in auto crash cases.
