To receive whiplash compensation, you must file a whiplash claim. If you were injured in an accident, always go to a medical provider from the accident scene. Ask for an ambulance to a local emergency room. After you have been checked out, be sure to get a copy of the medical records. You should also get a copy of the police report. The police report is instrumental in helping to determine whether negligence on the part of the defendant was a major factor in the accident.

If negligence was a factor, you may be entitled to punitive damages in addition to whiplash compensation. An Orange County whiplash attorney will attempt settlement negotiations with the defendant or his or her insurance company. If the defendant does not offer a fair settlement, the whiplash attorney will bring the case to litigation. Medical records, in addition to the police report and, possibly, an accident re-enactment, are all helpful in proving that the other person was at fault and owes you compensation or that the other person’s behavior was negligent and he or she was at fault and owes you punitive damages.