One of the most common injuries received by car drivers in road accidents is known as a "whiplash" injury. This is generally a soft tissue injury to the top of the spine or neck. Your body is held by a seatbelt in a collision but your head has no support and can move violently backwards.
This often leads to painful stretching and straining. Sometimes very severe and long lasting painful symptoms result from a whiplash injury. Younger people involved in lighter impacts may recover relatively quickly, but this is not always the case.
Older victims and people involved in heavy impacts may suffer significantly for a long time after the accident, with permanent damage having been done.
The amount of compensation awarded for whiplash should match the seriousness of the injury and the likely recovery time.