Whiplash is one of the most common types of injury. It is often the result of a traffic accident, especially a pile-up collision.

What is whiplash

In whiplash, the head is hit hard. Whiplash is an injury caused by the neck bending forcibly forward and then backward, or vice versa. This causes neck injury. Unfortunately, neck injuries can last for a very long time.

Whiplash is a non-objectifiable injury because it is not visible from the outside. This is essentially different from, for example, a broken knee as a result of a traffic accident. This injury is immediately visible. That is why whiplash complaints are so difficult to prove. There is therefore often a discussion with insurers as to whether the complaints that someone has from the neck can comes from the accident.

In addition to neck complaints, the following symptoms are associated with whiplash:

- Concentration problems

- Shoulder complaints

- Back pain

- Memory problems

- Sleep problems.

Recover personal injury damage after a whiplash 

If the injury is caused by someone else, for example by a collision, then the personal injury insurance of the liable party must fully compensate your personal injury. Both the material damage and the suffering damage are eligible for compensation.

In a unilateral accident, there is no liable party against which you can recover the damage. This also applies if you caused the traffic accident. This means that in principle you have to bear your own damage.

If you have a passenger insurance (Dutch: svi verzekering), you can still get compensation for your personal injury. The passenger insurance will then compensate all your personal injury. Often the insured amount is lower than with a liability insurance.

Which personal injury is reimbursed

Have you been in an accident and did you have whiplash complaints? Is someone liable for your damage or do you have an insurance policy? Then all damage as a result of the traffic accident must be compensated.

Personal injury consists of two parts, material damage and immaterial damage. for material damage you can think of loss of income, medical costs and travel costs. You are also entitled to suffering money.

Suffering money is a compensation for the pain, grief and psychological complaints that you have as a result of the accident. It cannot be valued against money as with material injury claims.

Whiplash treatment

Because whiplash is not easy to prove, it is important that you are treated by a doctor and a physiotherapist from the moment of the accident. The insurer can never state then that your complaints do not exist.

Do the complaints persist after a few months, even if you have been to a physiotherapist? Then you are eligible for a rehabilitation program in a rehabilitation center. Here the neck complaints are treated by various specialists.

Whiplash complaints can last for a long time. In some cases whiplash complaints never go away. This is referred to as chronic whiplash complaints.