The Telegraph’s legal expert, Solicitor Advocate Frank Maguire of Thompsons Solicitors is an expert at winning compensation for clients in personal injury cases. This week he dispels some the myths surrounding whiplash injuries and spells out your rights to claim compensation if you are injured in this way.

Whiplash injuries are often portrayed as minor and unimportant. However they can range from suffering symptoms in the neck for a matter of weeks to very severe injuries which can last for years or even be permanent.

It is often said that low velocity collisions cannot cause injury.  But the truth is that the forces experienced by, and applied to. people inside cars can be worse in lower velocity impacts than in higher velocity collisions.

The extent of whiplash injuries may depend as much on the person as the type of accident. Young children and older people are likely to suffer more serious injuries than healthy adults.

The pain and suffering associated with whiplash types injuries usually attract damages of a few thousand pounds but more serious and permanent cases can attract significantly higher levels of compensation for the injured party. 

If another party is to blame for the accident that caused your whiplash injury, you will be due compensation for the injury you suffered. 

You can claim compensation for whiplash type injuries even if you were partly at fault for the accident.  You may also claim if you were simply a passenger of the vehicle or it was a member of your family who was at fault. 

At the end of the day it will be the insurance company of the person who was to blame that will pay the compensation to the victims.

It is important to remember that there is a lot of false information out there about whiplash and whiplash injuries.

If you have been involved in a car crash, even if you are unsure whether you would be able to make a compensation claim, contact Thompsons specialist No Win No Fee Personal Injury Solicitors today on  0800 0891331.