How Much Compensation Can I Get for Car Accident Whiplash in California?

For many car accident victims, neck injuries present innumerable physical, mental, and financial challenges. If you’re familiar with the effects of whiplash, you likely understand the time and effort required for a full recovery. Unfortunately, some victims of whiplash never fully recover from their car accident, and compensation becomes necessary for their survival. Personal injury attorneys can help whiplash victims understand their case’s potential value and pursue maximum compensation.

Victims of negligent driving deserve justice for their suffering and should not be left in financial ruin through no fault of their own. If you’ve sustained a whiplash car accident injury in Sacramento, personal injury attorneys are your best avenue for fair recovery. United Citizen Law is a Sacramento personal injury law firm committed to helping car accident victims recover physically, financially, and psychologically. Our team’s expertise with the personal injury claims process allows you to focus on healing while we build a strong case. If you don’t win a settlement, you pay nothing—the consultation is free and the advice is priceless. 

To help give your case the care and attention it deserves, call (916) 800-8457 or tell us about your case on our website.

What are Whiplash Injuries?

It’s necessary to establish what medically constitutes a whiplash injury. Whiplash is defined as sudden energy transfer to the neck caused by a sudden acceleration-deceleration event. Car accidents are the cause of most whiplash injuries, as the human body is not adept at absorbing such high-speed energy transfers. The most common cause of whiplash is rear-end accidents—the most frequent type of auto collision. 

Whiplash symptoms often go far beyond simple neck soreness, sometimes requiring extensive medical treatment and physical therapy. Whiplash-associated disorder (WAD) covers all whiplash incident symptoms impacting the victim’s neck and spine. These symptoms range from basic stiffness to dislocation. Many health authorities classify WAD severity on a grade system, with Grade 0 showing no physical symptoms and Grade 4 including fractures or dislocation. Regardless of what WAD grade you are experiencing, call a personal injury lawyer as soon as possible if you have neck issues after a car accident.

Factors Determining Whiplash Compensation

Whiplash compensation varies widely due to the range of WAD severity. Physical symptoms lasting years and requiring ongoing treatment are typically compensated more than stiffness lasting a few weeks. Minor WAD victims’ cases can still yield fair settlements, so always opt to contact a personal injury attorney rather than “toughing it out.” 

Whiplash injuries often cause pain and suffering that negatively impact other areas of victims’ lives. Being forced out of work due to physical or neurological limitations means that lost wages compensation is accounted for in personal injury cases. Many victims also experience happiness deficits from residual pain and physical symptoms affecting their daily lives. Such damages can be used as evidence by your personal injury lawyer in your case. 

The facts of the accident also weigh heavily on potential compensation. Accidents with clear fault leading to injuries are likely to raise settlement amounts. When gross negligence is involved, victims’ possible compensation increases even more significantly. However, it’s important to remember that accident compensation is intended, first and foremost, to cover the full cost of damages for your injuries. Victims should not view their case as an opportunity to fill their pockets, but as a fair avenue for them to fully recover and repair their lives.

Whiplash Compensation Ranges

Average whiplash car accident compensation is difficult to pinpoint due to personal injury firms’ client confidentiality. According to available data, most whiplash settlements in California fall between $5,000 and $50,000. WAD severity has a strong bearing on settlement amounts, with minor Grade 1 settlements yielding between $5,000 and $15,000 while Grade 4 settlements average over $75,000. 

These compensation ranges account for all accident and injury damages, including property damage, past and future medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering. These averages are not determinant of any future case’s success, but they do represent rough estimates of past successful whiplash settlements. With strong supporting evidence backing your claim, a reliable personal injury law firm can present a solid case to compensate you for your injuries.

Can Whiplash Cause Additional Injuries?

Whiplash injury symptoms aren’t always excluded to the neck area. When suffering a traumatic acceleration-deceleration event, victims often suffer further vertebra trauma or head injuries. It’s not uncommon for concussions and more serious brain trauma to result directly from whiplash energy transfer in the neck. While being tested for whiplash, victims should also seek testing for brain injuries before symptoms worsen. 

If a brain injury is uncovered during testing, potential compensation can increase in a personal injury case. The long-term ramifications for brain injuries are often more severe than the whiplash incident’s effect on the neck. Many symptoms take weeks to manifest, so don’t assume that subsequent pain or discomfort is unrelated to your accident. If head injury symptoms begin to show, you should seek out additional medical testing as soon as possible to diagnose any brain trauma.

How Do Personal Injury Lawyers Prove Whiplash?

Details and a personal injury law firm are your greatest allies when pursuing compensation for whiplash after a car accident. From the moment the accident occurs, valuable evidence is available to strengthen your case at every corner. Some common types of evidence personal injury attorneys use to pursue damages for whiplash include:

• Photos and videos of the accident scene
• Medical documentation from doctors and physical therapists
• Employer documentation showing missed time or reduced ability to perform job duties
• Detailed records of post-accident symptoms and their impact on the victim’s life
• Testimonies from accident witnesses, family, and friends

Proving whiplash with medical documentation differs slightly from many car accident injuries. Whiplash is widely considered an injury of elimination, meaning other possible causes of symptoms are usually ruled out before a WAD diagnosis. Because whiplash is so common after auto collisions, victims should immediately inform medical professionals of their car accident upon medical examination. Many whiplash injuries involve soft tissue damage, making them difficult to identify in imaging scans. With the knowledge of your accident, healthcare professionals can put you through the appropriate tests to accurately assess your condition and assist your injury case with applicable injury documentation.

How to Find a Personal Injury Law Firm for Whiplash Injuries

Seeking fair compensation for whiplash after a car accident can become complicated due to the nature of the injury. Victims often don’t recognize the full extent of damage, and insurance providers attempt to capitalize with low compensation offers. To protect yourself and your future recovery, a personal injury law firm is your best partner following an accident.

If you’ve been injured in the Sacramento area due to another’s negligence and don’t know how to proceed, look no further than United Citizen Law. Principle attorney Sam Fareed is one of the highest-rated local personal injury attorneys Sacramento victims trust after a car accident. With a determined legal team supporting your case through every step of the process, your pain and suffering won’t go unaccounted for.

To begin your recovery journey today, call United Citizen Law at (916) 800-8457 or share your case with us on our website.

Article written by Carl Roth