
Whiplash is caused by the forceful and rapid back-and-forth movement of the head.
Although whiplash is common after car accidents, the diagnosis itself has long been controversial. Much of this controversy is a façade created by the insurance industry. Since whiplash cannot be confirmed through medical imaging or laboratory tests, adjusters are much more likely to challenge these kinds of claims than others. In some cases, they might accuse victims of either lying about or exaggerating their symptoms.
For survivors, though, one of the first and greatest challenges in winning a whiplash settlement is simply getting diagnosed. Unlike most physical injuries, whiplash is not always noticeable, at least not at first. Symptoms can take hours, days, or weeks to appear. Oftentimes, these early-warning signs are so subtle that they are either ignored or attributed to a pre-existing condition.