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Auto Accident 1.18.2022

Can You Get Whiplash In a Side Impact Accident?

Yes, as one of the most common motor vehicle accidents, side-impact collisions, commonly known as T-bone collisions, can have a devastating effects on vehicle drivers and passengers alike. Side-impact collisions that occur at high speeds often cause death or debilitating injuries because there is generally not much space between the front of the impacting vehicle and the bodies of those sitting next to the door of the vehicle being struck.

Most people know that whiplash is a very common injury associated with T-bone collisions. Side-impact collisions often cause whiplash injury and more, and these injuries can result in a victim suffering from significant pain and suffering, needing extensive medical care and treatment. If you have been involved in a side-impact accident, call our Detroit MI auto and motorcycle accident lawyers today for a free claim consultation.

What Happens in a Side-Impact Crash?

Side impact collisions can happen in an endless number of ways. However, we see three common ways side-impact crashes occur:

  • Drivers failing to yield to traffic when making left-hand turns
  • Drivers disobey or fail to stop at stop signs or traffic lights and striking vehicles in the intersection
  • Drivers failing to obey yield sign

Unfortunately, occupants inside of a vehicle do not have as much protection in the event they are involved in a side-impact collision. When a vehicle is struck from the rear or from the front, there is typically more vehicle structure and space between the occupants and the crashing vehicle because of the engine compartment, the trunk, etc. While vehicle crashworthiness concerning side-impact crashes has improved over the last few decades, these incidents still involve very little space between the occupants and the crashing vehicle.

Whiplash Injuries in a Side-Impact Collision

Whiplash injuries occur anytime a person’s body is suddenly forced back and forth or from side to side. While most people think of whiplash injuries occurring with front or rear-end collisions, it is important to know that whiplash injury can certainly happen to a victim in a side-impact collision. Our law firm has experience with some of the most common symptoms of whiplash after a car wreck:

  • Muscle spasms
  • Fatigue
  • Muscle tightness
  • Dizziness
  • Reduced range of motion
  • Neck pain
  • Neck stiffness
  • Headaches
  • Loss of range of motion in the neck
  • Tingling or numbness in the arms
  • Pain or tenderness in the shoulders

Victims of side-impact collisions can also sustain other orthopedic and neurological injuries in addition to whiplash, especially if you are a motorcycle hit by a car. This can include traumatic brain injury, post-concussion syndrome, broken bones and dislocated bones, injury to the spinal cord or back bones, lacerations or punctured lung, internal organ damage or internal bleeding, and more.

Can Low Impact Collision Cause Whiplash?

Yes, it is possible for a person to suffer a whiplash injury during a low-speed impact collision. In addition, low-speed impact collisions that happen when a vehicle is struck from the front or rear as well as those that happen when a vehicle is struck from one side or the other. Sudden and unexpected low-impact collision, a person’s head and neck can be slung or jerked quickly out of alignment and cause muscles and ligaments to stretch beyond their normal range of motion. When it comes to a vehicle accident, it is not always about the speed of a collision, but the mass and way in which a person body parts suddenly change direction, stop, or is jolted back and forth in any other direction.

One notable issue with low-impact collisions is that injury victims often do not realize they are even injured until hours or days after the incident occurs. However, the signs and symptoms of various car accident injuries tend to appear, including whiplash, may have been immediately apparent after a low-speed crash. It is critically important that all car accident victims seek medical help even if they do not think they have been seriously injured. A trained medical doctor should perform physical evaluation and make a decision about any necessary course of testing or treatment.

MI Side Impact Crash Attorneys

If you have been involved in a side-impact accident, call 866-HIRE-JOE to speak to our Michigan personal injury lawyers today for a free consultation and opinion about your options.

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No Fees Unless We Win
The Joseph Dedvukaj Firm, P.C represents Michigan clients in a full range of personal injury matters. If you have been injured, contact us for a free consultation.
The information on this website is for general information purposes only. Nothing on this site should be taken as advice for any individual case or situation. This information is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing does not constitute a client relationship.
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