What to look out for after rear-ending accident? (ie whiplash) (1 Viewer)

[NickSo]

So it was raining HARD today here, as my friend came to a stop a bit too abruptly, my other friend's car had started locking up and ended up rear ending my friend whose car I was in. It was low speed, teh car only slid about 3-4 feet into the intersection (thank GOD) but it was enough to jolt us seriously.

Anyways, I was wonderin what signs i should look out for like Whiplash and stuff that I shold get medical attention??

Thanks

 

[Mike Lenthol]

You left out the most important detail: are you suing the guy at fault? :wink:

 

[LewB]

I was wonderin what signs i should look out for

Usually they say 'Been in an accident ? call 1-800-SHYSTER '
About 3 years ago I rear-ended someone while leaving work. They started to make a right on red then stopped, I didn't. Must have been doing 10mph up hill. Competely my fault. The woman and I exchanged info and the cops came and wrote up a report, no tickets were issued. The woman seemed to be OK and insisted she was OK when the cop and I asked.
After all was said and done, my insurance company paid her $150,000 for medical expenses related to the accident. If I REALLY did hurt her, I'm truly sorry. Her lawyer is a golfing buddy of a friend of mine and I see the guy on occasion. I asked him what the deal was and he claimed she needed surgery and then 'did not have a favorable outcome' he then introduced me to a friend of his who was the woman's chiropractor ! I guess what I'm trying to say here is that these injuries can take some time before they become apparent. Just ask your lawyer errr, doctor !

 

[wayne p]

BC is still a tort province vs the various no-fault schemes in many other provinces, however the Insurance Corp of British Columbia (the only PL/PD writer in BC)is a provincial government owned insurance company.

The typical symptoms can include stiffness and pain in the neck and/or shoulders and/or back, tension type headaches and can often get worse over time if not treated. The severity of the symptoms does not always relate to the severity of the accident. Often the persons pre-existing physical condition plays a large part in how a specific event effects them.

If you are feeling symptoms of WAD (whiplash associated disorder) you should see your family doctor and seek the med & income replacement benefits attached to the BC auto policy as they apply to your personal situation. You would then give notice to the Third Party isurer and await the out come of your treatment.

The extent of injury and duration of recovery would influence your decision to seek damages (a Bodilty Injury claim) or not. If you present a claim I would hear what the insuere had to say regarding settlement before incuring the cost of legal counsel, as it would seem you would be dealing with an injury that should fully resolve in a few weeks (4 to 8).

The heads of damage would include General Damages (pain & suffering etc.) and Special Damages, those types of loss you can document such as wage loss (net of the AB benefits), out of pocket expenses etc. I beleieve the limitation period in BC is two years, but you should check as there have been so many changes to the various auto polices in Canada in the recent past it is hard to keep track of all jurisdictions.

You may wish to try to find further info at the Insurance Bureau of Canada web site.

 

[Dick]

Sorry about the accident. Been there.

 

[NickSo]

Yeah, they're all friends who were involved, so no suing involved...

I just wanan know what i should look out for to that i should get to the doctor for...

Right now my neck muscles have a slight slight soreness to it, but when i turn my neck, it 'cracks' (like when you crack your knuckles, butw ith my neck) more than usual (it usually only happens when its super stiff and only happens once in a long time).

 

[MikeH1]

Nick, I was in an accident similar to yours with friends back in 1989 when I lived in Campbell River. I thought I was fine but a week after the accident I woke up one morning with the stiffest neck I have ever had. I never saw a docter or anything, it actually took some time for me to realize it was accident related. But every day it got a little better and after a week it wasn't sore no more.

 

[Philip_G]

might have your teeth checked, pretty easy to chip something...