Whiplash injury compensation claims prove invaluable to contract workers

Whiplash is a common injury caused by road accidents; it is the umbrella term used to describe a variety of neck and shoulder pains caused by the sharp motion these areas are subject to in a car crash. Whiplash injury compensation claims are one of the most common claims to be made for in the UK, due to the ability whiplash injuries have to put a person out of work and action for many weeks. This is not a new problem, injured workers have for a long time been faced with the difficulties of continuing their jobs to the best of their ability while suffering from sometimes excruciating neck, upper back and shoulder pains. However, as the recent economy has driven large numbers of individuals to become freelance or contract workers for their respective professions, the threat of whiplash becomes a more sinister one. Most of the time, these type of workers do not have the back up of a large company which can afford to pay sick pay or have people to cover when an injured person is unable to work. It is the contractual workers who will normally suffer the greatest financial loss if they do suffer a whiplash injury and therefore, it is imperative that whiplash injury compensation claims can be accessed relatively easily by these people.

Norman, a graphic designer from Beckenham, unfortunately began to suffer the hardships that an independent contractor experiences when a whiplash injury occurs. Norman had actually been stationary still in his car when his accident happened. He had pulled out from his drive at home to join a traffic jam, which had been caused by a lorry breaking down on the main road. Norman was the last in the queue at this moment in time. As he waited for the traffic jam to begin to move, he was hit from the back of his car by another vehicle. Norman’s head was immediately flung forwards and then straight back up – causing a severe whiplash to his neck and upper back. The driver of the offending vehicle was very apologetic and offered to pay for any damages done to Norman’s vehicle. He also took Norman to the nearest hospital so he could get his injuries treated.

The whiplash Norman suffered did not end here. In the following weeks he began to find it increasingly difficult to carry out his work. He found it hard to get to work in the first place – as the movement required for driving aggravated his injuries – and his graphic design work suffered, as he found it painful and difficult to sit at a desk, bent over work for any period of time. This difficulty led to Norman being forced to turn down contracts and limit his designing time. This, in turn, led to a dramatic fall in Norman’s earnings. Norman recalled this to be an extremely distressing time, his physical pain was causing him trouble and his decreasing income was causing an increase in stress. The doctors had told Norman that there was no medical treatment available for his injuries and that only rest would cure the whiplash injuries.

Browsing on the internet one day, Norman came across the possibility of whiplash injury compensation claims. Conducting further research, he began to think that he would be entitled to one of these whiplash injury compensation claims. Feeling slightly more positive about his situation, Norman got in touch with his solicitors. They listened to his case and advised him that whiplash injury compensation claims were created precisely for people like him, whose whiplash injury had not been his fault and was causing him to lose out on money and future work.

Norman had had no idea that he would be eligible for such a good sum of money – he felt that his work worries were over. When he received his compensation money, Norman was able to rest his whiplash injury without worrying about work. He no longer had to work through the pain of his whiplash, aggravating the injury and prolonging his recovery time. As a result of his compensation money, Norman was able to recover fully and get back to his contract work as soon as he was able.