whippy

n. an insurance claim for whiplash, or a person making such a claim. Subjects: English, Law, Slang

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Citations: 1994 David Barstow St. Petersburg Times (Florida) (July 29) “Bringing suit in Florida? Break a leg” p. 1A: In Florida, back and neck strains are the most common personal-injury claim. They’re so common that attorneys have a nickname for them: “whippy’s.” That’s shorthand for whiplash suffered in, say, a rear-end collision. 1996 Christopher Cooper New Orleans Times-Picayune (Lousiana) (Nov. 17) “Foster’s Goal Is No-Fault Insurance Detractors Say It Won’t Cut Costs” p. A1: The system is broken, Donelon said, adding that he sees the evidence daily in the mounting number of “whippys”—defense attorney slang for whiplash claims, so common that they are paid out at a standard rate, even though the medical experts cannot vouch that anything is really wrong. 2002 Andrew Malleson Whiplash and Other Useful Illnesses (April) p. 254: The whippies, as the insurance industry calls whiplash claimants, account for this huge increase in BI claims. For the purpose of insurance statistics, whiplash is recorded as “sprains and strains,” ans since these sprains and strains nearly all involve the neck and the back, it is reasonable to equate them with whiplash.

Posted 7 Jun 07 | Permalink | Tell a Friend