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1. Minor damage to your car means little chance of
serious bodily injury.
Wrong! The insurance company hopes that you will
believe this myth, yet research has shown that serious
injury can occur to your spine, head and neck even in
minor vehicular accidents. Contemplate this: An 8 mph
rear impact produces forces to the victim's head that
is 2 ½ times the impact that is done to the vehicle.
2. Whiplash is not just a temporary, minor
inconvenience.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, more than 272,000 whiplash injuries
are reported every year. Most people recover from
whiplash injuries quickly, but some develop chronic
pain and disabling symptoms. Symptoms can include neck
pain and stiffness, headache, dizziness, shoulder
pain, ringing of the ears, blurred vision, problems
with memory and concentration, irritability, sleep
problems, depression, or fatigue. Be sure that you are
seen by a physician immediately following an accident
even if you feel that your symptoms are just minor.
3. Just because you are not feeling any pain
immediately following an accident does not mean that
you did not suffer any injuries.
It is not uncommon for a week or more to pass before
someone feels the full effects of whiplash. Be sure to
advise your physician if you have experienced memory
loss or periods of unconsciousness after a collision.
This is especially the case if a patient experiences
severe pains in the back of the head, pins and needles
in the shoulders and arms or notices a sensation of
heaviness in the arms. Immediately following an
accident, ice bags should be applied to the neck area
to reduce inflammation.
4. Normal healing is the key to lasting recovery.
It's an absolute myth that a whiplash injury can heal
and return to normal on its own. Simply masking or
numbing pain with medication can lead to serious
delays in corrective care. Pain medications,
exercises, ice, physical therapy, massage, and heat
help relieve symptoms for many patients. About 75
percent of patients can be symptom-free within a few
months, if they are treated promptly and effectively.
5. Insurance companies pay more when the injured
person is represented by counsel.
This fact comes straight out of an insurance company’s
training manual. People without representation usually
have little knowledge and experience regarding the
law, and insurance companies know this. Insurance
company’s are out there to make money, so keeping
accident victims away from attorneys just makes good
business sense for them--- but not for you.
6. Hiring an attorney does not always mean that you
will have to go to court or spend years of your life
trying to get a settlement.
At Brown & Crouppen, most accident cases are completed
in one year or less. As far as going to court, this is
rare. Through a lot of hard work our firm has
developed a reputation in the legal community that
allows us to fairly settle most of our cases without
the need of our clients to be subjected to these
unpleasant parts of our legal system. In short, don’t
worry, your case will probably be settled favorably in
a few months without ever having to appear in court.
7. I can’t afford an attorney.
At Brown & Crouppen our policy with accident cases is
that we never charge any advanced legal fees. The only
way a client ever pays legal fees or expenses is at
the conclusion of their case and only if we are
successful. If unsuccessful, the client owes us
nothing. We believe we should make money only after we
make you money. That’s why it does not cost you
anything up front to hire an experienced lawyer for an
accident case.
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