The truth is that car accidents don’t always end in tremendously complicated and dramatic injuries. Even though they are capable of changing your life forever, the majority of the accidents are actually rather harmless, apart from the obvious car damage that you need to take care of. This, of course, relates to the accidents which took place in urban areas of Ontario. Highway accidents are almost guaranteed to end in tremendously disastrous consequences due to the high driving speed.
However, driving in town is usually subjected to the strict regulations of the Highway Traffic Act and drivers tend to be more careful. The accidents are usually rather harmless, resulting in cosmetic car damages and certain physical injuries. One of the most common types of injuries is whiplash. However, you need to know that whiplash is a complicated injury which has five different ranking grades – from 0 to 4. So, it’s important to be well aware of those.
Grad 0 – this grade is usually the most commonly caused. It represents no physical signs of injury and no actual pain or discomfort. The condition is momentary and it doesn’t pose any danger. It’s usually disregarded.
Grade 1 – Stiffness, tenderness and neck pain are the symptoms of the second grade. However, there are still no physical signs of the injury and the condition gets better on its own in a few days.
Grade 2 – The same symptoms but there are certain physical signs which attest to the actual occurrence of the injury. This is also going to cause pain when you turn your head to the side.
Grade 3 – The same symptoms but there are also neurological signs of injuries. These might include alteration in reflexes as well as certain weakness in your other body parts.
Grade 4 – These are the most dramatic instances and they include dislocation and fracture of the neck.
Needless to say, the last two groups are the most dangerous and they are often the object of significant monetary compensation. Neck injuries can easily cause a wide range of other neurological issues and even full body paralysis. That’s something that you need to account for. With this in mind, it’s important to note that whiplash shouldn’t be disregarded in any case. It is a serious injury with repercussions that cannot be ignored.
It is the subject of huge compensations, especially if you’ve had to undergone dramatic neurological procedures for a significant period of time. This causes not only physical but also a lot of emotional pain and suffering, hence leaving the door open for additional non-pecuniary claims. Of course, this is subjected to thorough assessment and judgment on behalf of the court, so you need to make sure that you’ve made your case clearly. You will need a good injury lawyer in Burlington to discuss all the fine points of your custom case.