The short answers is “yes“. Damage to your vehicle or the vehicle that hit you is only one factor that is taken into account. Cars and trucks are now built withstand collisions. Many are designed for collisions of up to 15 km/h without damaging the structure of the car. However, there are numerous scientific studies that show that significant injury can occur from low speed impacts. Simply put, you cannot correlate injury with the size of the impact or the damage to the vehicles.
I have had cases in the past where two vehicles hit head-on at 80 km/h with complete write-offs of both vehicles and my client walked away from the collision with very minor injuries. On the other hand, I have also had cases where there was no apparent damage to my client’s vehicle (or perhaps a small ‘scuff mark’ on the bumper) and yet my client suffered from ongoing chronic pain as a result of injuries from the collision and I was able to obtain a settlement of six figures. Injury claims depend upon a variety of factors, but the amount of damage to either vehicle is rarely a significant factor in the outcome of the claim.
If you’re unsure about your claim or injury don’t hesitate to get in touch with our office for a free consult.