Whiplash is caused when the muscles in the neck are over extended, and is usually associated with road traffic accidents, the impact of the crash causing the head to "whip" - hence the name. After a car accident - even at a relatively low impact speed - you can start to experience whiplash at any time from immediately after the accident to several hours or even days later.

Symptoms include pain and/or stiffness in the neck, back and shoulder, headaches and dizziness. It's important that if you feel any of these symptoms immediately following the accident you seek medical assistance to ensure that you do not have a more serious injury.

In fact, it is extremely important to seek medical advice if any of these symptoms appear, particularly if the pain is severe. Most of the time whiplash takes only a short time to recover from; however, in some cases whiplash can be extremely debilitating and take a long time to recover from, impacting on your work and other aspects of your life.

If you have suffered from any injury following a road accident you need to notify the police - once done, the next essential step is to get the name, address, registration and insurance details of the other driver as well as details for any witnesses to the accident. These are particularly important if there is any dispute as to who caused the accident.

Next step is to visit the hospital or your doctor depending on how severe your whiplash injury is - they can begin treatment immediately as well as diagnosing and recording the problem should you wish to pursue a claim for whiplash compensation.

If the accident was not your fault, then there are many specialist claims companies dealing with whiplash who can use their expertise to get the highest level of service and attention for your case and ensure you can get on with your life as normal as quickly as possible. This can range from arranging a replacement vehicle immediately to seeking compensation for the injury you sustained as a result of your accident.

You may not have thought of pursuing a claim for your whiplash injury but the inconvenience and often incapacitating effect of this injury can be extremely detrimental.

Compensation is not a free handout - it's a legitimate payment that can alleviate the difficulties caused by what, in some circumstances, can be a very serious injury taking weeks, months and sometimes years to attain a full recovery. It is awarded to compensate for pain, suffering and loss of amenity - which you have received through no fault of your own.

A specialist company or specialist solicitor will have an inside knowledge of the claims process and can ensure you provide the right information to the courts to help your case proceed as smoothly as possible. In many cases a specialist claims company or solicitor can guide you to a larger award settlement, due to their intimate knowledge of the claims system.

The best advice is to get expert help as soon as you possibly can - dealing with the claims procedures on your own can be a complex business. With the advice of an expert you can ensure that you are inconvenienced as little as possible from your whiplash injury and can enjoy a quicker recovery without the stress of pursuing a legal claim on your own.

For further information regarding whiplash compensation please visit our website.