According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Americans spend more than one million days in the hospital each year as a result of injuries from car accidents. If you’ve recently been hurt in an auto accident, you should contact a personal injury attorney to see if you can file a claim and receive compensation for the damages. Here are a few of the injuries most commonly associated with car accidents.

A Guide to Common Injuries From Car Accidents

1. Broken Ribs

A broken rib can be very serious, and it doesn’t take a 10-car pileup to cause this kind of personal injury; any type of impact can damage your ribs if you’re suddenly thrown forward, backward, or to the side as a result of a collision. Broken ribs can be extremely painful and take a long time to heal, which means you may not be able to work for some time. A car accident attorney can help you find out if you’re entitled to compensation.

2. Whiplash

Whiplash is one of the most common injuries sustained from both major and minor auto accidents. It’s a neck injury that is caused by a forceful, back-and-forth movement of the neck, typically as a result of getting rear-ended. Contact a personal injury attorney right away if you think you may have whiplash — symptoms usually occur within 24 hours of sustaining the injury and include neck pain and stiffness; loss of range of motion in the neck; dizziness; fatigue; headaches; and tenderness or pain in the shoulder, upper back, or arms.

3. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

While injuries such as whiplash and broken ribs may be immediately obvious following a car accident, some conditions take time to develop. This is especially true of mental health issues, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which can be just as damaging as any type of physical injury. If you find yourself feeling extremely anxious about the thought of driving your car again, or if you can’t stop thinking about the accident, and it’s interfering with your daily life, you may have PTSD. Therapy and medication can help, and if you file a personal injury claim, those treatment costs may be covered.

If you’ve been injured in an auto accident, contact the personal injury attorneys at Neimark & Neimark in New City, NY. For more than for 40 years, this law office has been helping Rockland County and Orange County clients collect the compensation they deserve for a wide range of injury-causing incidents, including car crashes, construction accidents, and medical malpractice. Visit their website to learn more, and call (888) 725-7424 to speak with an experienced attorney today.