Fender-Bender? You May Be Injured!
December 12th, 2011 | Published in Blog, News, Uncategorized
It’s that time of year again…
The weather is changing…
The roads are getting icy…
People are driving faster than they should…
You get rear-ended.
It’s a classic tale: You’re at a stop light and didn’t see it coming. Someone hits your car. They weren’t going fast… You feel ok… no need to go to the doctor, right?
WRONG!!!
The fact-of-the-matter is that regardless of how hard the impact is, many different factors go into your being injured or not. That includes: impact direction, location of impact, attentiveness of the occupant, posture of the occupant (looking forward, to the side, up or down, twisted, etc.), restraints (including position and tension), other safety features (including airbags, head restraints, shoulder straps, Dynamic seats, changes of velocity, bumper ratings, brakes depressed or not, etc.
Notice we didn’t mention how fast the vehicles are going. Research has shown that actual speed isn’t an indication of injury or not. We’ve heard the tales of people getting up and walking away from a roll-over wreck. I’ve personally seen patients with serious injuries in 10 mph bumper kisses! I’ll say it again:
THE SPEED OF THE CAR IS NOT AN INDICATOR OF INJURY SEVERITY!
What’s more, many car accident victims don’t have ANY symptoms at all for up to 2 weeks after the accident!
Here’s the thing. Regardless of the severity of the crash, you need to be evaluated. You need someone who is competent and trained to screen for injuries. This would be above and beyond the emergency room. They do a great job looking for broken bones, lacerations, dislocations, and severe strains, but they DON’T do a good enough job assessing more subtle injuries. You may experience:
- pain
- stiffness
- numbness
- dizziness
- headaches
- radiating pain
- weakness in the limbs
- electrical pain
- vision changes
- mental/mood changes
- inability to concentrate
- difficulty swallowing
- jaw pain/clicking
- etc.
Dr. Arthur Croft has literally written the textbook on how to assess and manage these cases. His website lists doctors who have become certified and advanced certified in managing whiplash, motor vehicle collision, and brain traumatology victims. I am one of those physicians. You can go here to search for my listing. This certification involved a year of study, hundreds of post-graduate class hours, and a rigorous exam. One of my greatest joys is to have a patient in terrible pain and be involved in helping them get their lives back.
Here is some important information on car accidents:
Reporting traffic crashes
In nearly all states the law requires that all traffic collisions be reported to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), regardless of whether it was your fault or the fault of another driver. If there are any questions on how to report a traffic collision, please contact your insurance agent, and they will be happy to help you.
What to do after the collision
Many crash victims feel shaken, but other-wise uninjured at the time of the crash. However, 24-72 hours later, they may become symptomatic, experiencing head-aches, neck pain, or other symptoms. It is best to follow the advice of the emergency workers after a traffic collision. If you do not go directly to the hospital it is best to seek attention from a chiropractic physician or physical therapist, as they are best trained in dealing with musculoskeletal injuries, and aiding in a quicker recovery.
Make sure the personal information from the other driver/drivers is collected even if the police come to the scene. If there is any question with your insurance, the type of injuries, and who was at fault, your insurance agent along with your chiropractic physician can help you.
Information to collect
- Date
- Time
- Location
- Your direction of travel
- Lane #
- Describe your injuries
- Name, Phone, Address of other motorists involved
- Driver’s License and state of other motorists
- Date of birth of other motorists
- Vehicle (make, year, plate#)
- Insurance Company (with policy # and agent name)
- Describe their injuries
- Other applicable notes
Seat belts
Always wear your seat belt and shoulder harness when riding in a vehicle, even if your car has airbags. Airbags are designed to work in conjunction with seat belts, and not to be used alone, as they can cause serious injury by themselves. The safest place for you in a crash is sitting securely in your seat. Many fatal crashes occur at relatively low speeds, and you can double your chances of surviving a crash by wearing your seat belt.
Many people mistakenly believe that they can brace against the steering wheel and avoid serious injury, however even at 25 mph an unrestrained driver can strike the steering wheel with the same force as falling from a 3rd floor balcony.
- Car Speed prior to impact = 25 mph
- Driver Speed prior to impact = 25 mph
- Car Speed after impact = 0 mph
- Driver Speed after impact = 25 mph
25 mph is the same speed as falling from a 3rd floor balcony!
Child restraint system (CRS)
Tragically, more than 40% of children who die in car crashes are unbelted. Always be sure children are properly protected when riding in a moving vehicle under your control.
It’s the LAW! Please check the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website at www.nhtsa.gov for questions about CRS.
- Children should remain rear-facing for a minimum of 1 year.
- Children over 1 year and weighing 20 to 40 lbs may ride in a forward-facing CRS.
- Kids too big for a 5-poing harness, generally between 4-8 yrs old should ride in a high back booster seat until at least 57” tall.
- Children under 12 years old should ride in the back seat when possible.
Head restraints
Each year nearly 3 million people suffer a whiplash injury. About half are left with some chronic problems and about 10% become permanently disabled. Only 20% of drivers correctly adjust their head restraints. Proper head restraint position is the single most important method to prevent whiplash related injuries.
Poor Geometry
Good Geometry
Position the head restraint as close to the head as possible. It should be level with the top of the head.
Treatment for whiplash
Proper treatment for whiplash is important in order to avoid serious chronic problems and complications. Proper treatment consists of restoring the mobility of the joints in the spine, decreasing inflammation, breaking up scar tissue, and returning strength and proper range of motion back to the surrounding musculature. Medicines will only cover up the symptoms, it does not correct the potentially harmful damage whiplash has on the body. Correction of this damage can only be achieved by quality treatment from a chiropractic physician.
If you’re involved in a motor vehicle collision, it is very important that you seek the advice of one certified in handling these cases. Dr. William Green is advanced certified in managing trauma and injuries sustained in a motor vehicle collision. Delay will not only cause more damage (including scar tissue) to occur which potentially leads to chronic problems, but it will also hurt your attempts to receive compensation from your insurance company. Your insurance company CAN NOT use your personal injury claims to increase your premiums, so you don’t have to worry about that.
We have same day appointment times blocked off specifically for car accident patients. We know how important it is for you to get seen and begin care asap. CALL US TODAY!!!
