Low Impact Car Accidents

Can I Settle My Case if There Wasn’t Much Damage to My Car?

When you’ve been in a car accident that didn’t cause much damage to your car, you might have a tough time working with the insurance adjuster.  Many times, the insurance adjuster will want to give a lower value to a claim where there wasn’t much damage.  You may be wondering how to work with the adjuster and settle your case if there wasn’t much damage to your car.

Low Impact Accidents

Many times, minor car damage occurs when there is a low speed impact.  Sometimes, in a low speed impact there might be little (if any) visible property damage. But, people who are in low speed accidents do have injuries — especially neck and back injuries.

The biggest cause of neck and back injuries in accidents is that the driver or passenger can’t brace themselves.  Car bumpers are designed to hold up against a low impact.  But, the body inside the car gets whipped around.  People in low impact accidents often get “soft tissue” injuries that include bruises, neck and back injuries, and chest and rib injuries.

Whiplash from Low Damage Crash

Whiplash is one of the most common injuries that a driver or passenger in a low damage collision might suffer.  A sudden hit to the rear of a vehicle can cause the neck to hyperextend.  The car seat pushes the midsection forward as the head and neck fall backwards.  This pushing and puling of the body causes the hyperextension.

Neck injuries that happen because of car accidents often go beyond soreness.  Car accident victims are prone to herniated disks in the neck region, even in low impact accidents.  These kinds of injuries can cause arm pain, numbness and weakness.  Surgery often becomes necessary.

Back Injuries

Low impact accidents can cause back injuries too.  As the body is tossed around in the car, muscles in the lower back area become sore and weakened.

Learn more about this topic in our article “Spine and Soft Tissue Injuries“

National Institutes of Health Study

Recently, research from the National Institutes of Health found that there is no amount of speed or damage to a vehicle that will predict whether a person is injured in a crash.  Instead, car accident victims are frequently injured at all impact and car damage levels.

If you’ve been injured in a low impact car accident, having an experienced lawyer on your side is critical.  At the Ritchie Law Firm, we have a track record of success handling serious injury cases resulting from low impact accidents.  We frequently use biomechanical experts and medical specialists to help establish how the accident caused the injuries.