Here’s The FREE REPORT You Requested!… “Discover What Most ... · suffer for the rest of their lives! It might interest you to know that there 33% of whiplash-injured individuals

Quadra Chiropractic Accident and Injury Centre, 2602 Quadra Street, Victoria, BC Phone 250-386-8887 or contact Dr. McDiarmid directly at [email protected]

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Confidential Car Accident Victim Report

Here’s The FREE REPORT You Requested!… “Discover What Most Doctors Don’t Know About Hidden Car Accident Injuries And How To Protect Your Rights Before It’s Too Late!”

In This Insider’s Report We Will Reveal: How Hidden Car Accident Injuries Can Cause Arthritis. How Even Minor Injuries Should Get Evaluated. Why Prescribed Pain Relief Medication May Make Your Condition Worse! The Importance Of Documenting Your Injuries Immediately So That You Get

The Settlement You May Deserve! Why this is the most detailed report of its kind ever made available to the general

public of British Columbia.

WARNING: Hidden injuries are sneaky, potentially debilitating, and will strike hundreds of thousands of Canadians this year…and due to ignorance and/or inappropriate care, many car accident victims will suffer for the rest of their lives! It might interest you to know that there 33% of whiplash-injured individuals will have chronic neck pain 33 months after the acute whiplash injury! Statistics point out that at 6 months on disability leave you only have about a 50% probability of returning to work. After 1 year that number drops to 20%, and after 2 years it’s only 10%, regarding injuries of all types! That’s the bad news.

The good news is that there is help available to you that ensures

that the insurance companies know what you’ve been going through and your rights are protected. So keep reading the report to find out the well-hidden truth you won’t find anywhere else!

Dear Accident Victim, Reading this free report may be the most important thing you've done all year. Why? Because finally someone is revealing the shocking truth about car accident injuries many insurance companies don't want you to know. The information in this free report is vital if you want to avoid years of pain, suffering, and misery. So slowly read this report from beginning to end!


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Let’s get started…

Every day, thousands of Canadians are involved in auto accidents and they aren't lucky enough to have this information in front of them. When it comes to whiplash, ~33% of those injured will have chronic neck pain/related disability 33 months after the acute whiplash injury occurred!

Deaths related to car accidents are ~ 50% what they were 20 years

ago. So good, so far, right. The number of insurance claims has gone down nationally, over the last decade, from 1.5 million to 1.1 million. Now for the not so good news, over that same time period there’s been a 32% increase in number of injury compensation claims! As a result, they either receive inappropriate care for their injuries or never get their injury diagnosed properly, and often settle their case too soon.

Even our neighbours to the east are struggling under the weight

of these injuries. It’s so bad, the provincial governments are participating in minimizing awards. An example is in Alberta where the government of the day recognized 70%-80% of all car accident related claims involved ‘soft tissues’ in low speed crashes where vehicle damage under $800 yet court awards often $15,000-$20,000. So the cabinet convened and voted in the ‘Minor Injury Regulation’ (MIR) in 2004. It maximized Pain and Suffering awards at a whopping $4000. A couple years ago they raised it to $4504 and it only applies to ‘whiplash, sprains and strains’. Ontario isn’t much better.

“At Least My Insurance Will Cover Me”

Here in BC collision related injuries affected ~35,000 British Columbians every year, and costs ICBC policy holders ~$500,000,000 a year. In 1996, ICBC spent $600,000,000 for claims relating to whiplash, which accounted for ~70% of the bodily injury claims for the year. Recognizing that >95% of rear-impact collisions that are reported, occur at less than speeds of 40 km/h (25 mph) one can see why the insurance industry has taken to defending these claims with all the tools at their disposal. In 2000 legal costs went from $134 million compared to $279 million in 2012, can you say double! No expense is spared defending against these types of claims. Because ICBC is the sole provider of basic car insurance you typically end up suing your own insurance company. The ‘Corporation’ (ICBC) has provincial government legislated protection as being the sole provider of basic automobile insurance coverage, for the entire province. Here in BC we are privileged to be the only location (in all of North America!) where the Department of Motor Vehicles is under the exclusive control of an insurance


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provider. Think about it, only here in British Columbia. There are those that think it’s a good thing and those that don’t. It’s not for me to say either way, but it is what it is.

ICBC was created in 1973, by then Premier Dave Barrett, on the premise that it would run a ‘small surplus’ to account for changing market conditions. Not too long ago that ‘small surplus’ was $6 Billion! It was invested 80% in bonds, 15% in equities and 5% in real estate. Not all of their investing decisions work out. Remember the Asset Backed Commercial Paper (ABCP) fiasco a few years back. It devastated the world economy and resulted in untold thousands of Americans losing their homes, Well, ICBC invested $45 million of yours and my dollars into it. The good news is that it only totally 0.5% of their (I mean our) total holdings. In 2007-2008 profits of just half a year exceeded $526 Million. In 2009, $3.7 Billion in premiums was collected from us to the tune of a net income of $563 Million. In 2010, the Corporation recorded a net income of $155 Million for just the first quarter.

Attempts to get even the most basic information from them can prove

frustrating and questionable. An example is how the Crown Corporation fights Freedom of Information requests by appealing to Section 17 of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. Remember ICBC has provincially legislated protection from competition, for providing basic auto insurance. Yet, they resist any and all attempts at revealing the number of insured vehicles in each class, the total premium income in each class, and total claims expenses in each class. The ‘Act’ allows a public entity to withhold information that they feel can harm them from a competitive and economic perspective. Well, when you have a legislated advantage stopping any competition, I fail to see how revealing said information can harm you, except for perhaps a good dose of criticism.

In 2000 bodily injury claims, processed by ICBC, totally $569 million vs. 2012 when the bill came in at $1.4 BILLION, a 68.3% increase! Fast forward to 2012 and it takes ~5000 employees to processes 900,000 claims/year. With all those bills coming in you’d think the Corporation would have been cutting back. Well, somehow their employees, from 2007 to 2012, earning >$200,000 year increased 315%. Recognizing not everyone has it easy, ICBC management gave their executives some interesting cash perks; $88,000 compensation for loss on a house sale, $4500 monthly housing allowance and another got a $40,000 signing bonus, all paid out of yours, and my, insurance premiums.

An example of how your insurance premiums have been spent is to go

back to 1995. At that time ICBC funded the Physical Medicine Research Foundation (PMRF) which held a symposium in Alberta. From that the idea was hatched the BC Whiplash Initiative (BCWI). The way it worked


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was that ICBC gave an ‘educational grant’ to the PMRF which, at the time, did not have a single prominent clinical scientist on its board or even a single advisory committee. The objective of the BCWI was quite laudable. Its purpose was to ‘assist’ only medical physicians (after all, this is where all of the Cultural Authority lies) with how to diagnose and treat patients with Whiplash Associated Disorders (WAD), heavily relying on the error filled Quebec Task Force (QTF) findings.

The BCWI was presented in 4 Modules. It was sold as a traveling road

show and only medical physicians were allowed to attend. The 1st module was focused on the natural history of whiplash and what is called the pathophysiology (how the injury took place). It’s here that they began to introduce the doctors to the idea that psychological illness could be causing the patient’s symptoms, re. “Pre-existing psychological problems and personality are widely considered to have a major influence on injury behaviour.” Because formal Canadian university medical training, regarding injuries we are discussing here, is minimal at best, it’s not hard to see how the physicians could fall for it. Module 2 covered diagnosis and management. Here, with no apparent evidence to back the statement up “pain itself, is a poor marker of injury severity.” The fact of the matter is, and yes I have the scientific literature to back it up, initial pain severity is a risk factor for chronic symptoms from whiplash. One of the world’s most pre-eminent researchers on the topic of whiplash has noted that pain itself is one of the best markers for chronicity. It applies as much today as it did when Dr. Radanov clarified the issue in his 1995 article in the British Journal of Rheumatology.

Module 3 was devoted to the Corporations skewed opinion about

chronic pain. Two errors, among many, that stood out here is where they introduced the doctors to ‘illness behavior’, introducing 6 categories of psychological conversion disorders; pain disorder, hypochondriasis, psychophysiological, psychosomatic pain and dysphoria. Trust me, one just can’t make this stuff up! If you also complained about low back pain (LBP) then they turned to the obscure scientific references which stated “low back pain studies suggest that job dissatisfaction was a high predictor of disability.” The fact of the matter, depending on the study, 30-50% of all whiplash claims (including those with minimal to no damage) also suffer from LBP. There’s more, but you get the idea.

Along the same vein as the BCWI, is ICBC’s in-house Low Velocity

Impact Handling Guidelines (LVI) that your claim automatically defaults to if the damage to your vehicle is minimal or non-existent. If they place your claim into that category (typically your adjustor won’t inform you unless you ask) there are a number of specific factors that can get you ejected from it, thereby allowing it to be categorized as a tort claim which then involves monies for pain and


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suffering. If you’re represented by a lawyer, and you find out you’re in this category, ask them what they’re specifically going to do about it. If you get some half-hearted response (or something worse) maybe you should give them a copy of this report and recommend they attend our free class. We cover this topic in the deepest detail ever offered to the general public. Often, lawyers come to the free class just to hear this section.

Have you had anyone, with a vested interest in minimizing the payout

for your claim, tell you that there’s no way you could have been injured because of the lack of damage to your vehicle? Here’s a little factoid to contemplate, Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 215 (CMVSS 215) is not intended to reduce a vehicle’s occupant(s) risk of injury(s)! What occurs is a pendulum-vehicle collision occurs at 8 km/h (5 mph). The vehicle must maintain functional lamps/reflective devices, headlights (and alignment), functional hood-trunk-doors, no fuel & cooling leaks, functional exhaust-propulsion-suspension-steering and braking systems all in adjustment and operating in the normal manner. If that happens, the manufacturer can slap them onto a vehicle and sell it to the public. Modern vehicles are being made STIFFER which reduces repair costs and transmits more energy (in the form of what is called acceleration) to the vehicle’s occupant(s) increasing the probability of injury(s). Again, all this and more is covered in our classes.

Still not enough, here’s what the BC Supreme Courts have had to say

about some this issue. As far back as 1993, Judge J. Thackery (in Gordon v. Palmer) stated “I do not subscribe to the view that if there is no motor vehicle damage then there is no…(personal)…injury. This is a philosophy the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia may follow, but it has no application in Court. It is not a legal principle… a medical principle…the limited amount of motor vehicle damage…(in a particular case)…is not the yardstick by which to measure the extent of the injuries suffered…”

This Can Happen Even If It’s Your Own

Insurance Company You're Dealing With! Make no mistake, insurance is a business like any other, and the

less they spend on appropriate care, the more money they make their shareholders.

Even if you were involved in a minor fender bender, studies have

proven you could suffer from a severe injury that isn't easily noticeable.

You can be severely injured and only feel a little or no pain at

all after the accident. Your doctor can easily miss this and mistake your pain for something completely different. This is when insurance


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companies try to settle with you. Don't make this mistake! Until a recognized and reputable (not to mention, is formally trained in the specific injuries we are discussing here) doctor who has experience with low impact, soft tissue injuries says you are 100% okay, don't make the decision to settle too soon!

Common Claim Settlement Insurance Tactics

� You receive an unsolicited cheque in the mail. There’s also a letter that clearly states if you cash the cheque constitutes settlement of your claim.

� Unsolicited letter and cheque claiming it’s an “advance” on your

claim. Cashing it doesn’t close your claim, but the insurance provider knows it’ll be next to impossible to continue the claim (or hire a lawyer) having received a sizable advance.

� Portray all lawyers as ambulance chasers, and the adjustor is

your friend looking out for your best interest, thereby keeping from knowing your legal rights. As an aside, I deal with a real cross section of the Victoria personal injury legal community and I can assure you there’s no harder working group, period.

� The insurance provider pays for an ‘independent’ examination, by

one of the medical personal they hire on a regular basis. A report is generated that lacks ‘objective’ evidence of an injury and states you should recover.

� Inventing a phantom breach of your insurance contract, and

suggesting that they’ll forgive the breach if you sign off your claim for little to no money.

� About 2-3 months into the claim, the adjustor arbitrarily cuts

off all funding for your treatment and invites you in for a chat. They offer you a cheque for say $5000, but to get it you must sign off on the claim. This unsolicited treat is great for the person nearly back to pre-injury status, but for the person feeling better from their care and at risk for long-term consequences it can be a fraction of the value of a claim.

Our free class also includes a presentation from a full-time personal injury lawyer who will elaborate on these, and many other points. They’ll also answer any questions you might have.

Don't Talk Or Speak To ANYONE About Your Case Until

You Finish Reading This FREE REPORT!


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Most insurance adjusters know all about the kind of injuries people like you and me can experience in an accident. They know sometimes you don’t feel injured right away and that’s why they try to settle as quickly as possible while your medical bills are low or non-existent.

“What About The Police Department”

Unfortunately, a number of years ago, the Victoria Police Department changed its policy regarding which collisions it will attend. In order to have the Victoria Police tend a car accident:

• There must be >$1000 damage. This is one I have always found

interesting. Unless you are schooled in vehicular damage estimation, how would the average person have a clue as to how much damage has occurred and how much it will cost to repair, especially when you in shock from the impact? Without exaggeration, a simple ‘ding’ can easily surpass a couple thousand dollars to repair.

• Someone goes to the hospital. • There is a fatality. • Involves a criminal act. • Is a hit and run. • Involves a license or insurance infraction. • Involves a government vehicle. • Serious damage to property has occurred and the owner can’t be

found. • Crashed vehicles are not mobile and block traffic.

Those deemed to be `Minor Crashes` between January - October 2004:

• Cost approximately $60,000, in officer time, to deal with so called minor crashes.

• In that time frame there were 1,218 collisions. • 819 (of the 1,218) did not cause injury(s). Therefore,1218 – 819

= 399 did cause injury. • Sgt. John Price, of the Saanich Police Department stated “Saanich

still uses the $1000 benchmark and has no plans to change it.”

What MOST Doctors Don't Know About

Hidden Injuries CAN Financially And Physically Hurt You!

See, after any accident, it’s advisable to visit the emergency room to make sure you don’t suffer from any life-threatening injuries like broken bones, a punctured lung, or internal bleeding. This is what emergency room doctors specialize in.


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But the problem is that as long as there’s no immediate threat to

your life, the emergency room physician is likely to send you along on your way with pain medication to mask the pain.

And here’s the problem with only taking pain medication after

your accident… Soft tissues like muscles, ligaments, discs, nerves and blood

vessels need oxygen. They also need to function and move properly.

Thinking pharmaceuticals are the answer, here’s something to consider. ‘Pharmacovigilance’- is the science of collecting, monitoring, researching, assessing and evaluating adverse events after medications are marketed. “Few regulatory obligations exist once a product reaches the market.” (Source Health Canada) When you only take pain relievers and/or anti-inflammatory medication, scar tissue and adhesions can form limiting the proper motion needed for healthy nerve and blood flow. Better yet is the fact that anti-inflammatories actually DELAY healing!

In 2012, Health Canada had a staff of 827 and a budget of $74.6-

million just for drug approvals v. 213 staff and $23.6-million for monitoring safety. Yet it cannot order post-market studies (thanks to the Food and Drug Act). It can withdraw a drug, but rarely does. Even the Vioxx disaster,one of the most costly in History, was a voluntary withdrawal. To quote Dr. W. Masksymowych (Edmonton Rheumatologist and Univ. of Alberta professor) “Very soon we’re going to be treating patients with a mortar and pestle, if this continues.”

Scar tissue is also a substandard tissue that can turn into its

own source of pain - causing a number of chronic pains, symptoms and syndromes! The term is Central Sensitization. Suffice to say scar tissue is invaded by nerve tissue making it prone to causing pain. This issue is so common that the American Medical Associations 6th edition Evaluation of Permanent Impairment Guidelines, for the first time in its history, has dedicated an ENTIRE chapter to this very topic, based on the premise of Chronic pain Syndrome (CPS).

The Facts are the Facts When It Comes To Who Is Formally Trained And Who Isn’t.

The majority of medical doctors don’t have the training to detect

soft tissue injuries…they over-rely on vital signs, x-rays, and the pain described by the patient! It’s worth noting that comparing 10 major Canadian universities medical schools the average was ~16 hours, over 4 years training, in the field of pain management. An interesting


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comparison is veterinary medical students received ~87 hours mandatory training!

In all fairness to the family doctor, they do the best they can.

Unfortunately, a nice summary of what one of Vancouver’s most highly respected Orthopedic Surgeon’s (taken from a seminar I attended in 2009) had to say about modern medicine’s standard approach for a typical complaint. It starts out with the acute injury -> a history is taken and a physical examination is performed -> diagnostic tests are performed and ordered -> a treatment plan is determined -> therapeutic ‘Thunderbolts’ (his words, not mine) are administered -> Cured! That approach is the standard for all medical training. As he stated, the problem comes with chronic pain, which is traditionally recognized as any condition lasting longer than ~3 months. Here, the model just described, breaks down. The pathophysiology (how the disease/condition process happens) is unknown, the majority of any tests ordered or performed are normal, and when they aren’t normal, the doctor doesn’t know what to order. A perfect example is ordering a high radiation CT Scan when an MRI (no radiation) was more appropriate.

All too often the medical doctor will default to what is called a

‘psychosocial’ diagnosis. Finally defaulting to what the good doctor termed was his profession’s ‘Bacon Saver’ (again, his words-not mine) that of Cultural Authority.

Since many doctors can't detect your injury, they make the wrong diagnosis about what's wrong with you. So any treatments you get based on this diagnosis will do practically nothing for you! Speaking of diagnosis one of the most overused ‘waste basket’ ones out there is called ‘soft tissue injury’.

Please don’t take any of what you have read as an attack on the

entire medical profession, but the facts are the facts. Your typical medical doctor’s formal training, regarding injuries we are discussing here, is minimal at best. The blind belief in the medical professions ‘Cultural Authority’ is what is used against you. Allow me to give you a classic example. The insurance adjustor’s goal is to minimize the payout for your claim. I think we would agree their interest in your recovery is likely trumped by their employer’s desire to minimize the payout to you. Therefore, why do you think they are so adamant that you ‘consult your medical doctor’? The answer is simple, they know Canadian (internationally for that matter) medical school’s training in injuries, such as we are discussing here, is about the same as they get in dentistry. Get the doctor with all the cultural authority, and minimal training, involved and your all but assured of lowering the payout. Don’t believe me, how many of you reading this have been labeled with one of the more popular waste basket ‘Catch-all’


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diagnoses, i.e. Myofascial Pain Syndrome, Chronic Pain Syndrome, Myofascitis, Whiplash, Soft tissue Injury, to name but a few.

“The term `soft tissue injury’ is so nebulous and trivializing of

a wide variety of injury types ranging in severity from symptoms of a few days to a lifetime of debilitating pain that it should be

completely abandoned.”

Dr. Michael Freeman, Ph.D (Epidemiologist)

So before anyone accuses me of being biased, allow me to state that if it wasn’t for the antibiotic I would not be here today. I’m also a proponent of vaccinations not to mention the flu shot. When it comes to training it’s time for you to get as up to speed as the insurance industry is. As far back as 1993, the following was published in the journal Sports Medicine “Injuries and diseases of the musculoskeletal system account for more than 20% of patient visits to primary care and emergency medical practitioners. However, less than 3% of the pre-clinical medical school curriculum is devoted to teaching all aspects of musculoskeletal disease, and only 12% of medical schools require mandatory training in musculoskeletal medicine during the clinical years of undergraduate medical education in Canada.”

Still not convinced, then here’s something to consider, in a 2005

edition of the prestigious American Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery an article regarding medical training and musculoskeletal conditions was published. It involved 334 volunteers consisting of medical students, residents and staff physicians. The average score was 45% of which 79% of the participants failed!

Another study, also published in the American Journal of Bone and

Joint Surgery, took place at the University of Pennsylvania, School of Medicine. The article pointed out, the topics “… with which all physicians should be familiar.” The participants were medical school residents on their first day of residency. The passing grade was 73.1% of which 82% failed! The article summed it up “…failed to demonstrate basic competency in musculoskeletal medicine.”

On a final note, the University of Pennsylvania was redone only

this time at the Flinder’s School of Medicine in South Australia. Three of the questions had to be reworded because Aussies speak a little differently. On a personal note, having spent 2 years living down there I can attest to that fact, and I mean that in the nicest of terms. This time the exam was given to 31 practicing orthopedic surgeons and 66 interns. The passing grade was 73.1% and only 68% passed! To spare anyone crying foul, re. lack of clinical experience, the test was also mailed to 100 of the communities general medical


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doctors. Only 47 completed and returned the exam questionnaire. Of the 47 respondents, only 32 (68%) were able to reach a competency level of 73.1%!

So the next time someone recommends you see your medical

physician for the injuries we are discussing here, you might want to have them read this report.

I can’t count the number of times that a patient has presented to

my office for injuries resulting from a collision only to have their lawyer (or some well intentioned office staff member-often without the lawyer’s knowledge-yes, this has happened) send the person to their medical doctor either ‘just for a report’ or ‘just to get them involved because ICBC believes more in medical doctors than chiropractors’. It’s so pervasive it’s not uncommon for a client’s lawyer to tell them to go a walk-in medical clinic, if they don’t have a family medical doctor, just to get a doctor involved in the case! For those who do have a regular medical doctor, and do follow that recommendation, now you’ve exposed 2-3 years of your confidential medical doctor’s file on you to the other side. As discussed in my class, by a full-time personal injury lawyer, a single visit to your medical doctor can easily result in up to 3 years of what was a confidential doctor-patient relationship for all to see. Don’t think there isn’t anything there to worry about? Here’s an example, the second most common reason the general public goes to their medical physician is depression, and depression is documented to cause pain. So the other side, now that they know how many times you have gone to your doctor for depression sees the paper trail and says the reason your present day pain is not the collision but because you’re depressed, when in reality the reason you’re depressed is because of the pain. I’m not saying never consult your family doctor if you’re injured in a collision, but should an involved party be directing you in that direction you might want to know why.

There are a number of things the insurance company, and/or the

law firm working for them, is looking for in the copies of your doctor’s clinical notes. Are there any prior problems in same area: Denied on Discovery, can blame current problems on. Any confounding Issues like health (i.e. cancer, heart, systemic illnesses), inability to work pre-collision, prior slips, falls, other car accidents, depression, etc. How about embarrassing issues like those of a very personal nature (spouse’s infidelity, spouse growing marijuana), illegal activity (use of drugs, etc.), credibility issues. Failure to mitigate(i.e. doing everything you can to help yourself v. missing appointments-not doing recommended exercises, etc.).

Here’s the bottom line, medical doctors are primarily trained in

diseases (re. viruses and bacteria). Back pain is NOT A DISEASE!


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Typically The Most Important Information Is Missed

Right From The Start! Having Advanced Certification in injury biomechanics means I am

one of only a handful of those British Columbians qualified to talk of both the injuries themselves and the specific biomechanical issues regarding how you were injured in the collision. There’s no shortage of those (healthcare provider(s)) who will discuss your injury(s), or those who can discuss the collision (Accident Crash Reconstructionists). The problem for them is they aren’t qualified to talk about both.

Because of that I am hired by lawyers as a consultant. In that

capacity I am privy to a lot of different report styles/content/disciplines. Needless to say it makes for some pretty interesting reading once I delve into the Fedex parcel’s contents of yet another thick binder holding numerous reports and opinions.

A nice way for you to know whether or not your care provider (or

lawyer for that matter) has at least a minimum of training in this arena is you should have been asked whether the contents of the following 2 lists apply to you. They are epidemiologically (study of diseases and condition patterns) derived. They are based on quite literally thousands of collisions. We still don’t really know how they relate, but what we do know is that the more of these that apply to your particular collision, the greater your risk of injury: 1. Risk Factors for an Acute Injury: Female sex. Females weighing less than 130 lb in frontal crashes. History of neck injury. Head restraint below head’s center of gravity (males and females); large topset. History of CAD injury. Poor head restraint geometry/tall occupant (e.g., 80th percentile male). Rear vs. other vector impacts. Use of seat belts/shoulder harness (i.e., standard three-point restraints. Body mass index/head neck index (i.e., decreased risk with increasing mass and neck size). Out-of-position occupant (e.g., leaning forward/slumped). Non-failure of seat back to collapse. Having the head turned at impact. Non-awareness of impending impact Increasing age (i.e., middle age and beyond). Front vs. rear seat position. Impact by vehicle of greater mass (i.e., 25% greater). Crash speed under 10 mph. For rear struck occupant, when the bullet vehicle has a motor that is longitudinally mounted. Being the driver vs. front seat passenger.


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2. Risk Factors for Chronic Injury (termed ‘Late Whiplash’):

Female sex. Rear vector impact vs. other vectors. Body mass index in females only. Immediate/early onset of symptoms (i.e., within 12 hours) and/or more severe initial symptoms Initial back pain. Initial decreased cervical spine ROM (females only). Initial upper back pain. Initial upper extremity numbness or weakness or pain. Greater subjective cognitive impairment (difficulty with your thought processes). Greater number of initial symptoms. Greater severity or frequency of initial symptoms. High initial pain intensity. Use of seat belt shoulder harness*. For neck (not back) pain 19; non-use had a protective effect. Initial physical findings of limited range of motion. Neck pain on palpation. Muscle pain. Disturbed vision. Initial sleep disturbance or fatigue. Initial neurological symptoms; radiating pain into upper extremities. Past history of neck pain or headache Headache Initial degenerative changes seen on X-rays. Foraminal stenosis (cervical). Loss or reversal of cervical lordosis. Increasing age (i.e., middle age and beyond). Front seat position ; driver seat vs. passenger seat for females. Rear seat position. Occupants of vehicles manufactured in the late 1980s to early 1990s . This is relevant for rear impact crashes only. Other data suggest this relationship holds for all 1990s vehicles. Initial generalized sensory hyperalgesia. Head rotation at impact 11; both frontal and rear. Non-awareness of impending impact. *Note: Seat belts save lives ALWAYS use them! Yes, the above 2 lists are lengthy, but it’s the care providers duty to know these lists. Here’s the sad part, I can’t tell you how many reports I have been privy to review. Not a single one had any mention of these 2 lists, ever! Failure to account for the above mentioned risk factors removes any discussion when it comes to whether or not you were at risk of injury in a minimal-no damage collision.

“How Do I Know If I Had a Thorough

Examination?”


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The examination itself should confirm, or deny, the presence of functional loss and structural damage. Basically, the hands on exam should isolate/reproduce the complaint(s). Failure to do that is all too often followed by the ever popular ‘Soft Tissue Injury.” An example of a sub-standard examination is where the doctor asks you where it hurts -> you point to it -> they ask you to move the respective body part(s) (to the point of pain) and digitally palpate in a random/shotgun manner along with -> ask you if that hurt -> and ‘Shazam’ your diagnosed with ‘soft tissue injury’. Along with specific isolation/reproduction of your complaint(s), was your range of motion (i.e. how far you can move your neck, etc.) measured with a measuring device (called a goniometer)? If the answer is no then the applicable term is one’s best guesstimate (a.k.a. the eyeball approach). Did you fill out any ‘Subjective Questionnaires’? These are questions about your ability to perform certain activities (i.e. housework, employment, sleep, recreation, etc.). Typically each question has a few different answers -> you tick one possible answer to each question -> a number is assigned to each answer -> the numbers are added up and voila a subjective complaint (pain)/functional limitation is turned into an objective number. These questionnaires are vital because as fancy as our ability is to be able to image the inside of the human body is, we can’t image pain. Failure to utilize subjective questionnaires (i.e. The Neck Pain and Disability Index, The Roland Morris Questionaire, The Revised Oswestry Questionaire, The Whiplash Disability Questionaire, etc., etc.) is to practice in a substandard manner, period. The questionnaires should be redone anywhere from 2-6 weeks later in order to monitor whether, or not, the care you are receiving is helping. Simply go onto the internet and punch in the names of the questionnaires, or a multitude of others, print a copy and ask your care provider why you never filled them in. Again, subjective questionnaires are now, and have been for quite awhile, the standard of care for the types of injuries we are discussing here.

Risk factors were mentioned earlier. Remember, failure to ask you both lists pretty much negates any discussion, not to mention your doctor’s medical-legal report, should one be required.

Were you requested to get photos of you sitting in the vehicle,

you were in when the collision happened? This is one I am truly left shaking my head about. Because my free whiplash classes are accepted as Continuing Education credits, by a number of different healthcare disciplines, I will often have law firms send down the newly minted lawyers. You can pretty much tell who they are because of the constant note taking that takes place. They then go on their way and low and behold our paths will cross again, re. a common patient/client and no


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one other than myself has ever taken the photos we discussed in the class! Here it is: get 2 photos, both from the passenger side with the passenger door completely open, assuming you were the driver, others if you weren’t. 1. in your normal everyday driving posture. 2. In the exact position you were in, at the time of impact (i.e. sitting forward, neck turned or looking straight ahead, looking into the rearview mirror, etc.). Remember, a picture truly is worth a thousand words. For those without a camera, I’ll have them bring the vehicle to my office and I’ll go out there with my ipad and take them myself. In a rear-impact collision, these photos ARE VITAL! Think those with lawyers with years of experience are doing it, think again.

In the class, I perform a thorough examination and one I like t

call the ole ‘shotgun hunt and peck’ (described earlier in this report).

Science Behind These Collisions

Know this, when it comes to rear-end collisions, less than 25 mph (40km/h), you have a greater chance of injury under 10 mph than greater! Yes, you read that right, exactly opposite to common sense. The common sense belief is what’s used against and is one of the most tried and true defense positions in the Courts of British Columbia. It pains me to read 2013 judgments where science is absent and all the plaintiff has for a case is the medical doctor testifies the plaintiff is injured (with absolutely no mention of risk factors), sworn affidavits from the plaintiff’s friends loved ones and/or coworkers, a paper trail of different healthcare providers attended (often with a waste basket diagnosis) and a diary of how it’s affecting their lifestyle (re. home, personal, recreation, etc.).

“I Don’t Need to Worry Because My Lawyers the

Best!”

That may be so, but here’s a few points to help you judge for

yourself. Having been in the trenches for >20 years I’ve compiled some questions you might want to ask, and points to consider:

• Don’t be impressed by big ads/# lawyers in a firm! Don’t forget

who’s paying for the full colour Yellow Page ads, the sand etched glass in the waiting room, not to mention that huge board room table. When the door closes it’s just you and that person ‘stick handling’ your case.

• Ask them about the number of times they have actually gone to court with cases like yours in the last year v. 3 v. 5 years?


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• Do they run their practice principally by phone, fax and emails?

You’d better know, because the insurance companies do! They know which lawyers will push a case and those that won’t.

• What percentage of their practice is personal injury? It’s no different than treating back pain. There are those who do it all day-every day, and those who dabble in it. I’m reminded about the ad for a law firm where it showed a smirking woman leaning on the trunk of her nice ‘used’ Mercedes convertible. The license plate read ‘WAS HIS”. The audio was “Hers was a full-time divorce lawyer, his wasn’t.”

• Does the author of a medical-legal report matter more than its content. If you periodically see your medical doctor, but you’ve seen your say chiropractor numerous times. Simply ask them who’s report would they give the most ‘weight’ too. If they respond ‘the medical doctor of course’ (or my favourite, “ICBC prefers an M.D.s report over a chiropractor.”) you might want to read them this report’s section on just how minimal your typical Canadian medical doctor’s training is regarding the injuries we are discussing here. Now for something to think about. You’ve been in a collision and your goal is to be compensated for your injury(s). Because ours is a tort system, said compensation is traditionally in the form of monies that cover your lost wages / medication(s) / therapy(s) / pain and suffering / etc. I think we can all agree that the insurance provider has a vested interest in paying you as little as possible, regardless of just how friendly your adjustor tries to be, until you inform them you’ve hired a lawyer. So when the other side tells you their strategy of just how they are going to go about giving you the least (get the healthcare provider with all the Cultural Authority and slim to no formal training in this area) why would you allow yourself to be taken in that direction?

� Does the lawyer require a minimal amount of vehicle damage to take a case? If so, it might help to know that you have a greater chance of injury in a minimal-no damage collision, i.e. when the vehicle you are riding in is struck at less than 10 mph than over 10 mph! That last statement is opposite to common sense, as I stated earlier. It’s what the insurance companies, and their representatives, do not want you to know. Our classes cover this topic in great depth.

� In BC, a lawyer pays for the expenses, called ‘Costs’, you might

want to ask what % interest do they charge, it can be as high as 15%-18% or higher/per annum!


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� It might interest you to know that 1 lawyer can review another’s

entire file. You can’t review it, but they can. If you decide to switch lawyers then you must pay the costs for collecting reports so be sure and ask lots of questions before making a choice of who you plan on representing you.

The Problem Is That Soft Tissue Injuries

Are NOT Always Visible On X-Rays

Advance imaging (ie. CT Scan) is often utilized to look for the problem. Said scanners are unregulated in Canada. A single abdominal CT Scan generates 500X the radiation vs. a conventional X-ray! A 2006 study revealed that some B.C. Hospitals abdominal scans employed 8X greater radiation than required. By reducing the ionizing radiation dosage by just 5% would save ~125 Canadian’s lives every year. Here’s some facts to ponder:

• 1990-2009: 198 -> 465 CT Scanners (>100% increase) & MRI machines

19->266 (a >10 fold increase). • 2003 v. 2009: 58% increase on CT Scans (>4 million) & 100% for

MRI’s(1.4 million). • Canada:”... As many as 30% of CT Scans and other imaging

procedures are inappropriate or contribute no useful information.”

• Saskatchewan:(2009) government commission pegged 30%-50% all imaging had no basis.

• Ontario:(2009) 70-fold difference between hospitals in the number of scans ordered for the same conditions. As for headaches, less than 2% of the CT Scans ordered found the cause. For low back pain (LBP), over 90% were useless, re. found common abnormaities which did not assist with treatment.

Suffice to say the just mentioned stats translate to 121 CT Scan exams and 41 MRI’s for every 1000 Canadians. This is not to say imaging isn’t appropriate, but the right one should be ordered for the right reasons. Take your standard X-ray requisition. It’s more the norm, than the exception, to order an inadequate number of views. The legal minimum, in Canada, is 2 views at 90 degrees to each other. That said, you should also have been asked to bring your chin as close to the chest as possible as well as to extend your neck as far back as possible. Those 2 views are called a flexion and extension views, respectively. They are vital to ruling


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out one of the most common causes of long-standing neck pain, following a motor vehicle collision, instability. If they weren’t ordered, for your case, you might want to ask why. If the care provider who ordered your X-rays can’t answer that simple question, you might want to ask why you’re dealing with them. It gets better, we now have access to an imaging modality called Videofluoroscopy in the lower mainland. It’s not expensive and easy to access. Don’t expect your medical doctor, lawyer, or other healthcare providers for that matter, to order it. Quite frankly, most of them haven’t even heard of it! As far as I’m concerned, any health-care provider not familiar with this form of imaging, and what it can show, shouldn’t be treating the type of injuries we are discussing here, period.

The treatment of choice for medical doctors, like your family

doctor, is to use drugs to cover up your symptoms (in your case, the biggest symptom is pain) so you don't feel injured anymore. This form of treatment only gives you the illusion that you're okay, when really you can be seriously injured and not know it. Remember, anti-inflammatories actually delay healing! Check out the list of possible side-effects and you might want to consider your choice of healthcare. A site I like is www.rxisk.org. It’s free to register and very informative.

So, If You Are Experiencing Any Of These Symptoms,

You May Be Suffering From A Hidden Or

Soft Tissue Injury…

� Muscle Stiffness � Spasms � Neck Pain � Headaches � Numbness And Tingling � Mid-Back Pain � Low Back Pain � Difficulty Sleeping � Irritability � Memory Loss � Fatigue � Difficulty Concentrating


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Or worse yet, you may be feeling none of these right now because your injury hasn’t started producing these symptoms yet.

The Shocking Truth About Using Pain Killers, Anti-Inflammatories, And Surgery To Get Rid Of YOUR Pain!

Let’s assume you are experiencing some neck pain. How will your doctor attempt to treat you? Well, rather than go after the cause of the problem he or she can’t find (your doctor will never admit they don't know what they're doing), he or she’s going to attempt to cover up your pain with over-the-counter (OTC) drugs and other, more powerful pain killers. These drugs only work by sabotaging your body’s ability to register pain. They do absolutely nothing to fix the problem causing the pain. So, while these drugs are sweeping the dirt under the rug, you’re giving the illusion you’re actually okay. This is dangerous.

Why?

1. Accident victims on pain medication are more likely to settle their case. The insurance companies use this to their advantage so don’t make hasty decisions while on pain relief medication. It may come back to haunt you later.

2. Usually under pain relief medication, you are more likely to

worsen your injury! Your body’s way of telling you that you are making things worse is pain and, if you do not feel the pain, you may be aggravating your injury and not even know it! Ever have a sprained ankle? What happens if you keep walking on it rather than sit it out for a few days? It hurts more and more. And why? Because you’re making it worse!

The same is true for these hidden injuries in your neck and back. Yes, you read that correctly! Your doctor who means well and wants you pain-free, may be hurting you by giving you seemingly harmless drugs!

That's not to mention the side effects of using these drugs. You see, the bodily functions these drugs are blocking to hide your pain also have other functions in the body. Depending on the drug, you may run into serious kidney, stomach, or liver problems as a result of popping these drugs just to get through a day of work. The next step doctors will rely on once their initial treatments fail is to refer you to a physical therapist.


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The only problem here is the physical therapist is told what to do by your doctor. This means whatever therapy you undergo is designed to treat the problem your doctor thinks you have, when really it may be something totally different. So, after this charade, it’s no coincidence most people with ‘hidden’ injuries are still in pain and may even feel worse! At this point, you are either sent back to therapy to try another treatment that odds are won’t work because the person directing the treatment, your doctor, never diagnosed your problem correctly. Or, he may recommend you see a surgeon about your problem.

Now, it’s true that surgery is an extremely drastic treatment for these sorts of injuries, but if a surgeon doesn’t know what to go after, you’re probably not going to come out of the operating room fixed. Oftentimes surgeries, especially in the neck and back, will only result in a short period of pain relief, at best. More than half of all back surgeries will never get you out of complete pain.

Plus, there’s the added risk of infection and anesthesia problems, not to mention other side effects that aren’t too uncommon when it comes to cutting a body open…like missed time off work and reduced living for weeks or months at a time. Do you really think surgery is even an option you should consider especially since your doctor may not have the whole picture?

Discover RIGHT NOW If You Suffer From A Hidden Injury!

Hidden injuries are extremely serious problems. Unfortunately, medical science is under-trained and unequipped to diagnose and treat them with any measure of success. This is a giant health care problem in this country, considering how many people have suffered from a hidden injury. The sooner you find out you have a hidden injury, the sooner you can start a proven treatment plan. Wouldn't it be nice to live your life the same way you did before the accident ever happened, all based on scientifically validated treatment that addressed the cause of your pain and not just the symptoms.

Well, if you do find out that you do suffer from a hidden injury, then this can be your reality. Imagine being able to deal with your condition without pills, or painful and repetitive physical therapy, or even the thought of surgery.


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Isn't that nice? Wouldn't you rather be healthy and alive once

again, rather than living life only one pill away from endless pain, misery, and frustration? Aren't you tired of going to your doctor again and again, and never getting better? You see, your doctor may know there are better treatments out there available to you, but they also know if they tell you that, you may never come back to see them!

I Have Over 20 years Full-Time Clinical Practice Treating Auto Accident Victim’s Pain Safely and Effectively Without Drugs Or

Surgery! My name is Dr. Frank McDiarmid, D.C., FRCCSS(Canada) Clinic

Director of Quadra (Victoria) and City Centre Chiropractic (Langford) Accident & Injury Centers.

I’ve been in full-time practice for over 20 years, the majority

of which has been in Victoria. My qualifications include being the only Vancouver Island healthcare provider having Advanced Certification from the Spinal Research Institute of San Diego, in Whiplash Biomechanics and Injury Traumatology. Graduates of this prestigious program have received the most in-depth, science-based training available today. The program covers the entire spectrum from the physics of motor vehicle crashes to human biomechanics to diagnostics and management in injury biomechanics (re. relating a person’s injury(s) to the specifics of the collision).

In 1996 I received my Fellowship from the Royal Chiropractic

College of Sports Sciences (Canada) (www.rccssc.ca) thereby having chiropractic's highest academic accreditation in the field of sports injuries in Canada. I am also a member of the Canadian Society of Chiropractic Evaluators (www.thecsce.ca)thereby being accredited for performing independent third party assessments for neuromusculoskeletal injuries.

I’m also recognized by The Provincial Court of British Columbia

as an expert in the field of Chiropractic Care and am often asked to consult on cases, principally regarding whiplash injuries, by members of Victoria's legal community. That said, I hold the only classes in British Columbia regarding whiplash with a particular emphasis on Low Speed Rear-Impact Collision (when there is minimal to no damage to the struck vehicle). Classes are held 4-8 times a year, are free of charge, attended by lawyers and other health care professionals as well.


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I've spent years fighting for the rights of auto accident victims just like you. In fact, that's why I wrote this FREE REPORT. I'm sick and tired of car accident victims going through years of pain and misery all because no one ever bothered to tell them their rights and the truth about their injuries. It’s that very reason I began holding the only classes in British Columbia, dedicated to the whiplash injury resulting from rear/side impacts, with an emphasis on collisions under 25 mph (40 km/h). These collisions make up ~70% of all ICBC claims, so don’t be thinking the injuries resulting from them are small in number. Last year ICBC processed ~ 900,000 claims. Since 2000, ICBC’s legal costs have gone from $134 million to today’s figure of $279 million. Over that same time span, bodily injury claims were up 68.3%, going from $569 million to today’s figure of $1.4 billion.

I've used my drug and surgery-free method to help auto accident

victims just like you. I've been able to help almost everyone who I've diagnosed with a hidden injury.

In fact, I’ve been successful and happy helping people just like

you eliminate/reduce their level of pain, I’ve focused a majority of my practice and skills helping car accident victims. That’s why I mailed you this FREE REPORT. I want you to know the truth about car accidents that those with a vested interest in minimizing your claim don’t want you to know. I know I can help you, it’s just a question of how much. Having taken the time to order and read this free report qualifies you for a no fee accident injury evaluation to see if you suffer from a hidden injury.

What’s important is that you correctly document your injuries now! Because not doing so may make any injuries you have get worse and they will become more difficult to treat down the road (meaning keeping you in pain longer), and it may also hurt your personal injury case if you decide to pursue legal counsel.

Proper documentation can be difficult immediately following the

accident, or years later. It’s well established in the scientific literature that you have up to ~ 3 days after the collision for the maximum pain and related disability to show. In other words, if you followed the typical format of being examined at a hospital emergency department, or your family medical doctor’s office and little evidence of a true injury was found, that lack of objective evidence of injury is all too often used against you at a later date. Remember what was said earlier about the popular waste basket diagnosis of ‘soft tissue injury’.


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If you’d like, we can schedule a time convenient for you to come in for a thorough evaluation to pinpoint where your injury is. Then, I will prepare a Recommended Action Plan for getting you on the right track for dealing with your pain as quickly and easily as possible, without using drugs and surgery that don’t work.

Even if you feel okay right now, if you were in an accident, you still run a high risk of suffering from a hidden injury. It’s best to play it safe now and get checked out to make sure you really are okay. The slightest injury, even one that you don’t feel right now, may lead to a condition down the road called ‘osteoarthritis.’ While it is possible to treat it, it can take a long time. Worse yet, you may have to foot the bill! And all because someone hit you 20 years before!

While this is still fresh in your mind, call my office at 250-386-8887 (Victoria office) or 778-440-1828 (Langford office) and pick a time convenient for you to come in for your accident injury evaluation. If you’re calling after the office closes for the day, leave a message and a number we can reach you at tomorrow, and one of my assistants will call you then. Your accident’s been a big enough hassle already, from getting your car fixed, to dealing with your insurance adjuster. That’s why we’re dedicated to working around your schedule so you can go about living your life on your terms. If your examination turns up positive, and you are suffering from a hidden injury, then we may recommend you consider getting a lawyer to represent your case. If you’ve already retained a lawyer, our office provides a no fee initial consultation with them, outlining your condition, the treatment plan, specific collision factors that put you at risk of injury, etc., thereby educating them on what injuries we found. Choosing a good, qualified lawyer is extremely difficult and, if you’d like, we’ll even give you a list of attorneys to choose from. Whatever you decide to do, remember, you need to properly document your injuries as soon as possible, in order to get the care you may need and the settlement you may deserve. To do that, you need to be checked out by a doctor with the formal training and experience to diagnose and treat the hidden injuries we've talked about in this report. If you weren't alone in the vehicle, the other passengers in the car also have the option to come in for a FREE Specialized Personal Injury evaluation!


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Just give either office a call. We will be happy to schedule a FREE evaluation for them as well just to make sure everyone is really okay. If children were in your car, it’s vital they are evaluated to ensure their bodies are in good working order and are not subjected to unnecessary pain, suffering, or physical problems later in life. Don’t worry because if we do detect an injury, our care is both safe and effective for children of all ages. I hope you’ve benefited from discovering the truth about Hidden Car Accident Injuries - the same truth many people out there don’t want you to know. The sooner you document your injuries, the better your case will turn out.

Sincerely, Frank McDiarmid, D.C., FRCCSS(Canada) P.S. – Don’t forget, a doctor’s training dictates they’re ability to diagnose and treat hidden car accident injuries. Just because they can bill the provincial medical plan doesn’t mean they’re skills are up for the task. So, if you DO suffer from a hidden injury, and the treatment your doctor is giving you does nothing more than mask the symptoms then why do it! As mentioned earlier, if your interested in the facts about any drugs, including over the counter, your doctor has recommended for you, simply register (it’s free) with www.Rxisk.org and read the possible risks and side effects. As the saying goes, knowledge is power. When you consider, the pharmacologically speaking, the list is daunting. You could leave with a prescription for Anti-inflammatories, Anti-epileptics, Opiates, Muscle Relaxants, Pain Killers, Corticosteroids or Benzodiazepines. It might interest you to know there are very few, if any, scientific studies regarding any medications just mentioned and neck pain. The majority of studies were on low back pain! More food for thought is that Tylenol is the 5th leading cause of death when it comes to medication, that’s right Tylenol. P.P.S. – You need to properly document your injuries as quickly as possible for two reasons: (1) It will help your legal case if you choose to go that route, and (2) The quicker an injury is diagnosed, the less severe it will be, and the easier it will be to treat, which includes going to the doctor that is actually trained to diagnose and treat the injuries we have discussed here. That means you’ll be on your way to living your life the way it was before the accident. P.P.P.S. – The topics discussed in this free report, along with numerous others are covered in much more detail in our FREE class. Call either office and ask to be put on the list for the next one. Our staff will contact you


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letting you know when and where it will be held, which is typically every 6-8 weeks. You will literally be able to interview your healthcare provider(s)/lawyer/insurance representative after participating in it. The caliber of the classes is such that they are accredited for Continuing Education (1 credit for each hour of instruction) with The College of Massage Therapists of British Columbia (CMTBC) and the BC Association of Kinesiologists (BCAK) and the BC College of Chiropractors (BCCC).

Here’s what one class participant had to say after attending: “Dr. McDiarmid’s class is a must attend event. You are informed at the highest level and put you in a position where you can ask informed questions and expect the answers you need. Because of Dr. McDiarmid’s class I received 60% more than the initial amount offered, when I settled my claim.” J.H Thank you for taking the time to read this report. Dr. McDiarmid can be reached directly at [email protected] should you have any questions pertaining to your case or condition. You can also contact either office if you would like to have a FREE one-on-one with him to review your case. If so, be sure and bring all paperwork with you, and copies of images (ie. X-rays, CT Scans, MRI’s, etc.). Imaging copies are easily accessed by contacting the facility that took them and asking for a copy of them. Typically, your given a DVD, and don’t forget to also ask for a copy of the report that is produced.

Documents

Here’s The FREE REPORT You Requested!… “Discover What Most ... · suffer for the rest of their lives! It might interest you to know that there 33% of whiplash-injured individuals