Neck sprains in car crashes:​ incidence, associations, length of compensation and costs to the insurer

Maag, Urs; Laberge-Nadeau, Claire; Tao, Xiang-Tong

Affiliations

¹Department of Computer Science and Operational Research, Universite de Montreal, Montreal, Canada

²Laboratory on Transportation Safety, Centre for Research on Transportation, Universite de Montreal, Montreal, Canada

³Department of Social and Preventive Medecine, Universite de Montreal, Montreal, Canada

Abstract

In 1987, there were 4,328 car occupants involved in a crash in the Province of Quebec who sustained at least a cervical injury. Frequency, nature and severity of the neck injuries are examined as a function of occupant and accident parameters. Particular emphasis is given to the costs not covered by the provincial health plan, such as rehabilitation, compensation for pain, anatomico-physiological deficits and time lost from work (income replacement). Cervical sprains alone result often in a long term disability, and this income replacement constitutes a major expense for the insurer

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