Rear-end crashes can be quite serious depending on how they happen. When one car hits the rear of another, there’s the potential for the airbags to deploy. There could be crushing injuries or other injuries from the impact, too. Anyone who wasn’t wearing a seat belt might be thrown or hit a window, the dashboard or windshield, suffering serious injuries.
One of the most common injuries in a rear-end crash is whiplash. Whiplash is the most common because of the way the force of the second vehicle hits the stopped or slower vehicle. This force pushes the vehicle forward quickly, which initially pushes the head and neck back. Then, the quick stop that happens after results in the head and neck whipping forward, resulting in whiplash.
Many people don’t realize that they’ve suffered whiplash in a crash. Why? It doesn’t hurt right away. They might have a minor headache or sore neck, but it’s more likely for those symptoms to develop over the next 24 to 48 hours. This also means that people who have injuries often turn down medical care, because they don’t think that they’ve been hurt. Several hours later, they’ll realize that they were actually hurt and need to seek out medical care.
In a rear-end crash, the likelihood is that the other driver wasn’t paying attention or hadn’t considered how long it would take them to slow down. Regardless of the reasoning, if you’ve been hurt, you deserve to file a claim and seek compensation. Doing this will get you the financial support you need to get continued medical care.