The Many Myths About Low Impact Car Accidents and Whiplash
Whiplash Myth#1.
Low speed impact crashes don't cause injuries.
Low Speed impacts are those that take place at speeds under 10 MPH.
There's often not much (if any) clear cut property damage done to the back of the motor vehicle.
However, those who are smash into (especially in the rear) often have injuries, especially neck injuries.
Although many times the motor vehicle shows small damage, the velocity and accompanying forces(s) have to be transmitted somewhere and that is to the passenger(s) of the motor vehicle that has been crashed into.
The terms "acceleration/deceleration" or "flexion/ extension" better explains the motion commonly called "whiplash.
" The body is accelerated forward faster than the vehicle is moving, resulting in the head flopping backwards like that of a rag doll.
Even in a very low-speed (2+ mph) impact, there is not time for a person to react and the neck muscles, tendons, and ligaments are unable to resist the rearward movement, which then rapidly exceeds the neck normal extension of 60 degrees.
There simply are no scientific studies, that support the insurance industry's approach that "no property damage = no injury" or "no claim=no pain".
Neither are there any scientific studies, or statistical studies, that support the its corollary hypothesis that "little property damage = little injury" or "big property damage = big injury".
Simply put, vehicle damage does not equate to degree of injury.
You would have every insurance claims adjuster have those studies burned into their foreheads.
In the book, "Low Speed Automobile Accidents: Accident Reconstruction and Occupant Kinematics, Dynamics and Biomechanics", authors Watts, Atkinson and Hennessy point out that, "blanket statements about injury causation are simply not tenable for low speed accidents.
" Too often the insurance adjuster (and/or their Superiors) will attempt to deny, delay and defend (the "3" D's) the possibility of an injury sustained at a low speed impact.
However, recent research substantiates, just the opposite! Robbins,M.
C.
Lack of Relationship Between Vehicle Damage and Occupant Injury.
Society of Automotive Engineers.
1997:970494, Detroit, Mi Evans, RW, Some Observations on Whiplash Injuries.
Neurol Clin, 1992, Nov:10(4):975-97.
Hijioka A, Narusawa Jm Nakamura T.
Rish factor for long-term treatment of whiplash injury in Japan: Analysis of 400 cases.
ARch Orthop Truama Surg.
2001 Oct:121(9) 490-3 Kraft M, Kullgren A, Ydenius A, Tingvall C.
Influence of crash pulse characteristics on whiplash associated disorders in rear impacts - Crash recording in real life impacts.
Traffic Injury Prevention 2002:3:141-9.
Freeman MD, Croft AC, Rossignol AM.
Whiplash associated disorders: Redefining whiplash and its management.
By the Quebec Task Force.
A critical evaluation.
Spine.
1998 May 1:23(9):1043.
Low speed impact crashes don't cause injuries.
Low Speed impacts are those that take place at speeds under 10 MPH.
There's often not much (if any) clear cut property damage done to the back of the motor vehicle.
However, those who are smash into (especially in the rear) often have injuries, especially neck injuries.
Although many times the motor vehicle shows small damage, the velocity and accompanying forces(s) have to be transmitted somewhere and that is to the passenger(s) of the motor vehicle that has been crashed into.
The terms "acceleration/deceleration" or "flexion/ extension" better explains the motion commonly called "whiplash.
" The body is accelerated forward faster than the vehicle is moving, resulting in the head flopping backwards like that of a rag doll.
Even in a very low-speed (2+ mph) impact, there is not time for a person to react and the neck muscles, tendons, and ligaments are unable to resist the rearward movement, which then rapidly exceeds the neck normal extension of 60 degrees.
There simply are no scientific studies, that support the insurance industry's approach that "no property damage = no injury" or "no claim=no pain".
Neither are there any scientific studies, or statistical studies, that support the its corollary hypothesis that "little property damage = little injury" or "big property damage = big injury".
Simply put, vehicle damage does not equate to degree of injury.
You would have every insurance claims adjuster have those studies burned into their foreheads.
In the book, "Low Speed Automobile Accidents: Accident Reconstruction and Occupant Kinematics, Dynamics and Biomechanics", authors Watts, Atkinson and Hennessy point out that, "blanket statements about injury causation are simply not tenable for low speed accidents.
" Too often the insurance adjuster (and/or their Superiors) will attempt to deny, delay and defend (the "3" D's) the possibility of an injury sustained at a low speed impact.
However, recent research substantiates, just the opposite! Robbins,M.
C.
Lack of Relationship Between Vehicle Damage and Occupant Injury.
Society of Automotive Engineers.
1997:970494, Detroit, Mi Evans, RW, Some Observations on Whiplash Injuries.
Neurol Clin, 1992, Nov:10(4):975-97.
Hijioka A, Narusawa Jm Nakamura T.
Rish factor for long-term treatment of whiplash injury in Japan: Analysis of 400 cases.
ARch Orthop Truama Surg.
2001 Oct:121(9) 490-3 Kraft M, Kullgren A, Ydenius A, Tingvall C.
Influence of crash pulse characteristics on whiplash associated disorders in rear impacts - Crash recording in real life impacts.
Traffic Injury Prevention 2002:3:141-9.
Freeman MD, Croft AC, Rossignol AM.
Whiplash associated disorders: Redefining whiplash and its management.
By the Quebec Task Force.
A critical evaluation.
Spine.
1998 May 1:23(9):1043.