Fender Benders - Can Minor Accidents Cause Injuries?

Fender-benders - those minor collisions that are labeled “low-impact,” then dismissed by the person who hit you, then the insurance adjuster, and then defense counsel. As if this classification means that injury causation is impossible.  This is not an absolute truth.

Let's back up and talk about proving negligence. We went into depth a bit here, so I won't bore you to death rehashing it all. What I want you to focus on right now is the “mechanism of injury.” Case law defines this as, and I'm paraphrasing here, the process or force that causes physical harm to the body. So, for example, if you trip and fall flat on your face, then there will be an argument against injury claimed to the back of your head.

Credit: iStock-sankalpmaya

In the context of a car accident, we are talking about force of the impact. So could a minor accident cause injuries such as serious neck or back pain? Studies have shown that this is absolutely possible.

Vehicles are built with bumpers, as well as impact absorbers, both of which are designed to take the force of an impact.  Studies have shown that, in certain collisions in which the bumper does not crumple, or the impact absorber is not crushed, the force of the collision is absorbed by the vehicle's occupants.  The point is that the force of the impact has to go somewhere. Therefore, whiplash, muscle pain, and other injuries can still result from a minor collision.

This means that if you have been involved in an accident, and it seems that it was just a “fender-bender,” you should still go through the same steps you would if you have been struck by an 18-wheeler or involved in a major accident as a passenger and your driver is at fault. You should also listen to your body, and do not assume that being injured is an impossibility.

The sooner you call us, the sooner you begin treating with a chiropractor who specializes in physical therapy, then the sooner you will know if your pain is a result of your accident, minor or not.