Broken neck - or "just" whiplash
October 14, 2011
Posted by:Jo Chapman
Whiplash is often considered, usually by defendants and defendants' insurers, to be a minor injury, but as Gary Rickard found out, it is not always what it seems.
Yes, a rear end shunt can produce symptoms of a stiff and sore neck for a few months and these usually (not always) disappear with physiotherapy. Equally, a crash can cause invisible damage within the brain, even if there is no outward sign of injury, because of the acceleration and deceleration forces involved and, in Gary's case, even a broken neck. Doctors at Coventry’s University Hospital failed to spot a fracture during a series of examinations and discharged him. When his injury was eventually identified, he required three operations in order to fix his neck, which had begun to fuse to itself. After three years, Mr Rickard still experiences pins and needles, the restrictive use of his right hand and has been unable to return to his job. The point is, if doctors cannot be certain about the extent of the damage at the time of the accident, nor about how long the pain is likely to last, how can the injured person know?