got rear ended

[chevy]

We were out doing some stuff today and got rear ended by a van with a small plow on tow.I bumped my head somehow on the visor...I had my seat belt on so I dont know how it happened.Anyway we decided not to phone the police and we exchanged insurance info.Hubby was really pissed...when we got hit we were making a right hand turn and some kids were crossing the street...so we slowed down to let them go.Luckily when we got hit we didnt hit the kids.
Anyway , partway home my head started to hurt...then my jaw...and now my whole neck.Is it too late to report this however you do...or should I go to the doctors tomorrow and report it?
I dont wanna be one of those whiney people who say owe my neck hurts....but it does.Hubby seems a little wierd now , and I guess I should have said right away that it happened...but I was still a little shaken that it even happened.
What a day!Any advice would be great.

[Les Shaw]

I think you can still report it to the police

[Neal]

Call your insurance company if you haven't already and get their advice, like whether to inform the police. Go see your Doctor if you can, or go to a walk in clinic. Document everything. Taking care of your health does not make you 'whinny' IMO.

[mander]

Just because you didn't feel anything at the time, doesn't mean you weren't injured. Whiplash sometimes takes a few hours to show up. If it were me, I would be reporting it to the police anyways and see a doctor tonight at a clinic. Here in the K-W area, we have a collision reporting centre that all accidents should be reported to within a certain timeframe....I think its 48 hours. Face the fact, he was following too closely and is obviously at fault...thats why he didn't want to call the police because he could be charged. I would call the local police station and ask how you should proceed. Most importantly, have your neck checked out asap.

Whiplash and its symptoms (http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/fact/thr_report.cfm?Thread_ID=232&topcategory=Neck)

[Ken_ver_1_5]

Just because you didn't feel anything at the time, doesn't mean you weren't injured. Whiplash sometimes takes a few hours to show up. If it were me, I would be reporting it to the police anyways and see a doctor tonight at a clinic. Here in the K-W area, we have a collision reporting centre that all accidents should be reported to within a certain timeframe....I think its 48 hours. Face the fact, he was following too closely and is obviously at fault...thats why he didn't want to call the police because he could be charged. I would call the local police station and ask how you should proceed. Most importantly, have your neck checked out asap.

Whiplash and its symptoms (http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/fact/thr_report.cfm?Thread_ID=232&topcategory=Neck)

I agree,,,,, Most importantly, have your neck checked out asap.

[Roman]

A policeman told me once that no matter how small an injury is you should report it. Given your condition it certainly is worth reporting. As others have said, it's your health that's at stake.

[chevy]

Thanks for the info all. I went for a swim and funny thing is my neck feels better.Hubby thinks I was just so tence from the accident.When I get up tomorrow , if it still hurts...we will go report it to the police and take medical steps.We have to go get an appraisal for the repairs...and hope this guy doesnt stiff us and not pay.
Will keep everyone posted.

[Kelisis]

Good advice from everyone, especially reporting it to the police so that they have a record of the incident. Might come in handy if you change your mind and decide to file an insurance claim.

[mander]

Thanks for the info all. I went for a swim and funny thing is my neck feels better.Hubby thinks I was just so tence from the accident.When I get up tomorrow , if it still hurts...we will go report it to the police and take medical steps.We have to go get an appraisal for the repairs...and hope this guy doesnt stiff us and not pay.
Will keep everyone posted.

If you file a police report, he has no choice but to pay not only for damage to youe vehicle but whatever mecical expenses you have. Believe me when I say this, you will feel it in the morning. Been rear-ended myself hard enough to write off the car and you "will" feel it tomorrow even more than you do now. Please do...keep us posted.

[Lesley]

You probably have whiplash and you need to be treated for it right away. If you wait it's only going to get worse.

Call your insurance company and make a medical report with as much detail as possible right away. I also suggest you sit down and write out everything in as much detail as possible before you start to forget the minor details.

Good luck and take care of your body first. It has to last you a lifetime.

[Mischief007]

Report it to the police and go see your doctor. Don't worry about being nice, you are just covering your own butt. He will screw you over. I know because it happened to me once. Never reported and the guy only paid half the repairs. I learned my lesson the hard way.

[andyman]

I had whiplash from an accident I was fine that day .. but the next morning I had to roll out of bed because I could not lift my head.
go to the doctor then to the accident claim centre

[David]

unfortunately though, you may be alittle too late because the police were not notified at the time of the accident.
There is no telling, if the injurys you have received are from that accident, or something different...
But like everyone else has been saying - report it now and hope for the best, and definately go get it checked out.

[chevy]

Well , we reported the accident...no problem there.My neck , it doesnt hurt anymore so I didnt bother getting it checked.Although we told the police the reason for reporting it the next morning was my neck hurt.They said no problems...so everything is okay .It's been a few days since the accident so if I feel no pain now...I'm sure I probably never will.
I have had neck and back problems for years...I think it just may have agravated it that day.
Thanks for all the advice.Will update after the insurance goes through.

[Digiital]

Aren't you required by law to report if the damage if more then $1000 or any injuries?

[Dr.Dan]

Aren't you required by law to report if the damage if more then $1000 or any injuries?
Yes, that is correct Digiital... that is the law in Ontario.

[dbusguy]

But not to worry, it's now been reported :)

[Kelisis]

Let's just hope your insurance company doesn't jerk you around for reporting it late. Some of them will try and find any an all loopholes to minimize payouts on claims.

[Rustynut]

Glad you're ok! That is most important, as for reporting it late that shouldn't matter much. My daughter wrecked my old Cavalier a few years ago and at the time felt just fine but because of the extensive damage and the ambulance being on site she did visit with the emerg.
On the report she did state that she was checked out by medical staff but felt fine, until a week later when she couldn't move her neck. The insurance did pay for therapy and didn't make a fuss .... after all she will reimburse the insurance company by means of extremely high insurance rates, or so they thought.
We lucked out and found a cheaper rate from another company who did accept her but the rate still was up there until this year when it did finally drop to acceptable levels.

Do not let the insurance off the hook, if you have problems take them to task and get what you need to be healthy. Watch your premiums as well, do not let them try and they will try to increase your rates even if it was not your fault!