Orange County Whiplash Injury Lawyers
Suffering From Whiplash Injuries After A Car Accident?
One of the most common types of neck injury is the whiplash. Whiplash injuries can result from front-end and side-impact collisions, but most often they occur due to rear-end auto collisions. In fact, over 1 million rear-end collisions occur every year in the U.S. While most whiplash injuries are minor and will heal within a few weeks with proper care, about 20 to 30 percent of whiplash injuries become chronic and will lead to long-term discomfort. For this reason, spotting the symptoms of a whiplash injury, seeking proper care for these injuries, and monitoring the progress of these injuries are all critical tasks for a potential plaintiff after an auto accident has occurred.
Three Things You Should Know After A Whiplash Injury Has Occurred
Monitor closely the condition in your neck and your extremities for any of the symptoms listed here.
If you suffer from any of the symptoms listed here, seek immediate medical attention from a physician or chiropractor who is experienced in handling whiplash, neck, and back injuries in Orange County.
Call Easton & Easton, LLP as soon as possible so we can advise you what to do next.
Symptoms Of Whiplash
The classic symptoms of whiplash may occur immediately after the incident or may develop several days after the incident. The symptoms may not develop at the same time, and some may become apparent only with the passage of time. Thus, it is important to pay attention to your symptoms immediately after the accident and for several days and possibly even weeks after the accident.
The following are some of the most common symptoms to be aware of:
- Headaches
- Shoulder/Neck/Arm pain
- Dizziness/Vertigo
- Numbness/Tingling/Weakness
- Jaw pain
- Visual Disturbances
- Nausea/Vomiting
- Emotional complaints
Understanding How Whiplash Occurs
To understand how whiplash occurs, you must first understand the proper movements and functions of your spine and neck. Your spine supports your body weight, aids in movement, and serves as a passageway for your spinal cord and nervous system. The spine is made up of 25 bones, or vertebrae, that are individually designed for specific roles. Each vertebrae is separated by a tough disc that cushions the bones and allows flexibility and movement. The spine as a whole, with its many bones and discs, is capable of very large motions. But each individual joint by itself allows only a few degrees of movement.
The neck is the most flexible part of the spine. It allows your head to move in practically any direction. But its flexibility also makes it the area of the spine that is most vulnerable to injury.
The key to the movement of the cervical spine (or neck region) is what is known as the facet joint. The facet joint is part of each neck vertebrae, and it allows the bones to glide smoothly over each other. All of these neck facet joints moving together make it possible for the head to nod forward and backward.
The bottom line on whiplash is this: Your body was not designed for the abnormal motions that occur during a rear end collision. Normally, when your head moves forward and backward, all of the vertebrae participate equally and safely in the motion. Whiplash, however, is not normal motion. During a rear end collision, which takes place in about the same time as a snap of your finger, your head is thrown backwards so forcibly and quickly that your body does not have a chance to respond.
Rear-End Collisions
Let’s look at what happens to your neck during the four phases of a rear-end collision.
Phase I
You’re sitting in your car with your head and neck positioned normally. Figure I shows what your neck looks like in normal position just before a collision.
Phase II
Immediately after impact, inertia keeps your body momentarily at rest, while the car moves forward and then the car seat shoves your back and chest forward. This results in your spine straightening. Inertia initially keeps your head at rest. This rapid straightening creates a great deal of pressure on your neck joints.
Phase III
Next, within just a fraction of a second, your head and neck appear to move backwards, but in reality it’s your chest moving forward that causes your neck to arc backwards. This type of overextension of the neck backward beyond its neutral position is called Hyperextension. The act of your chest and your neck being yanked in opposite directions results in sharp bending in just one or two joints in your neck. Instead of the joints moving together in little movements, all of the stress is focused in one small area of your spine, resulting in a hyperextension injury.
Phase IV
Finally, your head rebounds forward, resulting in a hyperflexion injury, which is the flexion of the neck forward beyond its normal limit.
Front-End Collisions
If you were injured in a front-end collision, the biomechanical procedure is reversed, and you would first suffer a hyperflexion injury and then a hyperextension injury.
Why Whiplashes Can Be So Painful
All of the most common symptoms of whiplash can be traced either directly or indirectly to the trauma your neck experienced.
There are three major types of injury that whiplash can cause: muscle and ligamentous injury, nerve injury, and facet joint injury.
Muscle And Ligamentous Injury
Most whiplash pain involves muscle and ligamentous tissue, since they are the most easy to damage in a collision. During the impact, the muscles and ligaments in your neck are stretched beyond what they normally experience. Muscle and ligamentous damage is accompanied by swelling and tenderness of the muscles in the neck and shoulders. Fortunately, most muscle and ligamentous injuries heal quickly and usually don’t require extensive or lengthy treatment.
Nerve Injury
Just as muscles are stretched during the rapid motion of whiplash, so are nerves. Most nerves are able to handle such motion. But if your head is turned or if your head restraint is not adjusted properly, a nerve can be stretched too far or pinched. Nerve injuries can be more difficult to treat than muscle damage. In some cases, nerves that are trapped by bones or muscles may require more extensive therapy or even surgery.
Facet Joint Injury
Facet joint injury can show itself in a variety of ways. Pain in the area of the joint is the most common symptom. Facet damage, though, can also result in pain that is felt elsewhere in the body – shoulder and arm pain are common whiplash complaints that may be related to facet joint injury.
Treatment of joint damage can be more difficult for many reasons. First, the joint itself does not have a good supply of blood, which makes it hard for the tissues to heal. Secondly, constant motion of the joint and swelling can irritate the injury.
Effective Treatment
Your doctor can determine the cause of your pain, and help you decide the best treatment. The goal of treatment is to help the damaged tissues heal from the injury. This may take time, depending upon the diagnosis.
We believe that aggressive treatment during the first few weeks after an injury provides the best chance of complete recovery.
At Easton & Easton, LLP, our years of experience allow us to seamlessly assess and coordinate medical care to make certain the full extent of our clients’ injuries are identified, treated, and provable. So, if you need assistance finding an experienced doctor who will treat your symptoms aggressively, our personal injury lawyers in Orange County can help.
We understand the tricks, stratagems, and defenses the insurance companies and their attorneys use to defeat or minimize a claim, and at Easton & Easton, LLP we utilize our experience, skill, and dedication to make certain our clients do not fall victim to the insurance companies’ tricks and stratagems.
Please call us at 800-461-8259 for a free initial consultation. If we do not take your case, there is no charge.
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The superior client service Easton & Easton provides has earned the firm an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.
Easton & Easton is honored to have been chosen anew each year since 2014 by U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers as one of the "Best Law Firms" for the Southern California Metro Area.
Easton & Easton is honored to have been chosen by the LA Times Reader's Choice Poll as "The Best Personal Injury Law Firm in Orange County" for 2018.
Doug and Brian Easton have been selected as Top 100 Trial Lawyers for California each year since 2014 — honors given to less than 1% of attorneys.
Doug and Matt Easton have each been chosen as one of The Best Lawyers in America for Plaintiff's Personal Injury Litigation. Best Lawyers lists attorneys who have earned selection through exemplary legal work that attracts the notice of their colleagues. Lawyers cannot buy their way onto this list.
Brian and Matt Easton were recently honored for their efforts in securing a $1,850,000 verdict for a client in 2016, which was selected as one of the Top 50 Personal Injury Verdicts in California by TopVerdict.com.
Doug and Brian have each been selected by Super Lawyers, an honor given to less than 5% of attorneys. Matt Easton has been selected among Super Lawyers' Up-and-Coming Top 25 in Orange County and Top 100 in Southern Califonia, an honor given to less than 1% of attorneys under 40 years old.
Easton & Easton is honored to have been chosen as one of the "10 Best Personal Injury Law Firms” in all of Southern California" each year Since 2015 based on client satisfaction — one of the highest honors we could ever hope to achieve.
Easton & Easton received the “People Love Us On Yelp” award in 2016 due to the exceptional client satisfaction reviews given by our clients over the years.
Doug and Matt Easton have each been featured as Premier 100 Trial Attorneys for California since 2015 — honors given to less than 1% of attorneys.
Brian and Matt Easton have each earned lifetime appointment to the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum — The Top Trial Lawyers in AmericaTM through the results achieved for their clients. This is an honor given to less than 1% of attorneys in the United States.
Doug Easton has held the “AV Preeminent” Rating for over 30 years and Matt Easton received this prestigious distinction in 2015. The "AV Preeminent" rating is the highest possible rating for both legal ability and ethical standards, and is based on the legal profession’s oldest peer review rating system, dating back to 1887.
Doug, Brian, and Matt Easton have all been chosen as one of the "10 Best" Personal Injury Attorneys in Southern California each year since 2015 based on client satisfaction, an honor given to less than 1% of personal injury attorneys - and Easton & Easton houses three of them.
Brian Easton was selected to the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) in 2015. ABOTA is one of the most premier associations of trial attorneys and judges, requiring a certain number of jury trials as lead counsel and approval by a majority vote of the ABOTA board.
Matt Easton has been selected each year since 2014 as one of the Top 40 Trial Lawyers Under 40 for California by The National Trial Lawyers — an honor given to less than 1% of attorneys.
Doug and Matt Easton have each been chosen as one of The Best Lawyers in America for Plaintiff's Personal Injury Litigation. Best Lawyers lists attorneys who have earned selection through exemplary legal work that attracts the notice of their colleagues. Lawyers cannot buy their way onto this list.
Both Doug and Matt Easton have been selected as Top Personal Injury Attorneys by Avvo with scores of 10 out of 10 based on their skill, experience, results, peer evaluations, and client reviews.
Matt Easton has been selected as one of the Top 10 Personal Injury Attorneys Under 40 in California for 2015 by the National Association of Personal Injury Attorneys — an honor given to less than 1% of personal injury attorneys under the age of 40.
Doug, Brian, and Matt Easton have all been selected by the National Association of Distinguished Counsel among the Nation's Top One Percent of Attorneys each year since 2017.
“We look for the human story behind every injury or wrongful death. We prepare our cases for trial; reaching out to the jury with the most compelling evidence possible for the best verdict possible. Insurance companies know this and come to the table prepared to negotiate in good faith. Call us to see how we can turn your story into fair compensation.”
Partner W. Douglas Easton
What Our Clients Say
Coming out of my first auto accident as an adult, a very difficult and scary time to navigate and understand, I was so incredibly thankful to have been put in contact with Easton & Easton. I honestly was lost with how to handle paperwork, doctors, medical costs and what next steps were, and from the moment I spoke with Travis Easton and my case manager Katie, my mind was put at ease. They have made the entire process stress free for me as I recovered, and I am so grateful for them and their genuine care for my case. Communication from the start has been fantastic, especially making clear what my expectations for the entire process would look like, and I truly believe they have my best interest at heart. 100% I would recommend their firm for anyone that is needing representation! Read more…
My experience with Easton & Easton has been amazing! Gabriel Mendoza and my case manager Katie have been so helpful and taken so much stress off my plate. They’ve been super informative and honest and given me very clear expectations. They’ve taken such a terrible experience (my accident) and eased my mind about the outcome. I can’t thank them enough!! Read more…
Ive used them twice and never been disappointed. Read more…
The Easton & Easton Law Firm is amazing! The entire team is very helpful and caring. They were always there to answer all my questions. They directed me through the entire process and stayed with me every step of the way. This team is outstanding and were wonderful to work with. Because of the tremendous effort they put on my case they were able to win my difficult personal injury case. I couldn’t have asked for a better law firm to handle my case. They are the Best! Thank you for your patience, professionalism, & guidance! I definitely recommend this firm to handle your case. They go out of their way to fight for your rights. THANK YOU… Read more…
I could not be more pleased with the services provided by the Law Offices of W. Douglas Easton. The senior partner Mr. Easton took the time to meet with me and my wife while I was still in the hospital, where he gave my family hope that there was light at the end of a very long, and very dark tunnel. Matt Easton then worked my case, and because of his dedication, experience and expertise I received a settlement that was larger than I EVER thought possible. It was truly astounding! Matt and the entire team at Easton & Easton looked out for me throughout my recovery, and in the end they gave me my life back. Five stars is not enough. Thanks Matt! Thanks Easton & Easton! Read more…
Brian and everyone at Easton and Easton are simply the BEST at what they do. Brian is thorough, easy to talk to, and truly cares about his clients. If you want a family of attorneys with perseverance and determination to fight for you, give Easton and Easton a call. I am glad I did. Read more…
What an amazing law firm, talk about going above and beyond to make such a painful experience go so well. I have referred a co-worker and a family member to them as well and everyone had such a great experience as I had. Read more…
I can’t say enough amazing things about my experience with Travis Easton at Easton & Easton. Travis and his entire team (Katie, Amy, Dee, Michelle, & Araceli) are phenomenal. It provided me a lot of comfort to know I was being so well taken care of. I was especially impressed that every document for the case was perfectly written and specific to me. Nothing was generic, which shows the level of care and attention they put into each individual case. I had such a great experience and would highly recommend Travis Easton and his firm to anyone going through a personal injury. Travis took a bad situation and made the best of it for me. Thank you again, I’m forever grateful!!
-Allee
Retaining Easton and Easton was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made! From the initial consultation to our final meeting, they were nothing short of exceptional. I was forced to retain their services after firing my previous attorney for not handling the case properly. I dealt with Gabriel and Brian (partner) exclusively throughout the case. They did as promised and were great communicators throughout the entire process. I will recommend them to anyone I know going through a personal injury case. They were ultimately able to untangle the mess caused by my previous lawyer and get a result that I was extremely happy with. Their staff is exceptional as well and provided top notch customer service. Amera was also extremely helpful and easy to deal with as well.
I was in a pretty bad car accident and decided to have Easton & Easton represent me, Travis Easton to be specific. Travis Easton and his paralegal made the whole process effortless. They were so understanding and helpful! The entire thing was a gigantic mess, yet Travis managed to make it run like clockwork. I would HIGHLY recommend Easton & Easton! If you are ever in need of a personal defense attorney Easton & Easton is the firm to represent you!
They are the best law firm in Orange County period. Choosing them to represent me was the best decision of my life.
My life changed in a matter of seconds after a catastrophic spinal cord injury that left me disabled. Brian Easton and his team worked on my case non stop for 3 years and provided me the justice I deserved. I couldn’t have been more content.
I was treated with utmost respect and I felt like I was being represented by a close family member. The responses to my questions were quick and clear. What E & E has done for me is phenomenal.
My sincere thanks to Brian, Matt, Travis, Doug, Gabriel and Amera. They are what they are because of their dedication to provide high quality and professional service to their clients.
Brian Easton and his team, Gabe Mendoza and Amera Hajali, helped me during a very difficult time in my life. I had a significant injury from a car accident, and wound up seeking out Easton & Easton when I was having difficulties getting help from my doctors. The Easton team took a lot of stress off of me while acting as my advocates to help me get the care I needed, and saw my case all the way through to a healthy settlement.
They are the BEST!
I have nothing but good things to say about Easton and Easton. Brian handled my case professionally and communicated with me effectively throughout the process. He made sure that the process was effortless and as hands free as possible. This was super important for my busy schedule. I highly recommend Easton and Easton if you are ever found in a situation that you need an attorney.
I would highly recommend Easton & Easton.
I was rear ended on my home and pushed into a semi-truck. I was not sure how to go about even using an attorney.
Brian, Gab and Amera were so good about helping me thru the process and representing me.
I was able to concentrate on getting myself better knowing they had my back, taking care of the details and keeping me informed along the way
The best Law firm by far. I would highly recommend Easton & Easton, LLP and ask for Gabriel Mendoza and staff. He and his colleagues did and exceptional service. Thank you for everything. Job well done!
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