Any time you step into a motor vehicle and enter traffic there is a risk that you will be involved in a serious accident. The risk of serious harm increases when the driver or a passenger in a vehicle is pregnant. Not only is there a risk to a pregnant mother, but there is a risk to the unborn baby as well.
There are significant dangers to a pregnancy as the result of a car accident. With the help of experienced personal injury attorney Quinn Posner of Quinn Posner Law Office, P.C., you can fight for the justice and financial compensation you deserve.
Injuries and Expenses
Pregnant women involved in a car accident can face higher damages and expenses as compared to other injured people. Not only does a doctor have to take care of the future mother herself, but her unborn child as well. If an injury occurs to the expectant mother, the unborn fetus, or both, the potential injuries are higher and likely more serious than others who may have been in the car.
Along with this, if you are pregnant and involved in an accident, your financial compensation is likely to be higher than others could expect. With the help of an experienced Camas area personal injury attorney, you can file a personal injury lawsuit against the party that caused injury both to you and your unborn child.
Your injuries could result from:
Knowing about the types of injuries you may suffer and the compensation to which you are entitled is important in protecting your rights.
Types of Pregnancy Injuries From a Car Accident
There are a wide variety of injuries which could result from a car accident in connection with your pregnancy. Some of the common injuries that may result from a serious accident involve serious injury, death, or even loss of the pregnancy.
Premature Birth
Premature birth, also called preterm birth, is defined as the birth of an infant before 37 weeks of a pregnancy. (A typical pregnancy takes 40 weeks.) Extremely preterm infants are born between 23 through 28 weeks. The impact of the car accident or even the stress of being in an accident can cause early labor and birth.
The earlier the birth, the higher the risk of complications with the delivery. Further, the costs of keeping a premature baby in the hospital are incredibly high, even if the baby is perfectly healthy after birth.
Birth Defects
Injuries that occur to you often occur to the baby. As a result of a serious impact, or when a baby is born prematurely because of an accident, birth defects can result. Birth defects can range from minor and easily treatable, to extremely serious. Certain birth defects can cause trouble with a baby's
- Breathing;
- Ability to eat, sleep, or digest food;
- Ability to pump blood (heart defects); or
- Decreased cognition due to brain damage.
Coup and Contrecoup Injuries
Coup injuries occur when a moving object hits the head while it is stationary, causing the brain to slam into the skull. A contrecoup injury occurs when the moving head strikes a stationary object, or as the result of the brain slamming back after an initial impact. These types of injuries are very common in a car accident, especially when the impact occurred at a high rate of speed. Not only can this injury occur to the expectant mother, but also to the unborn child. Serious brain damage can result, requiring lifelong treatment and the possibility of special education.
High-Risk Pregnancy
A high-risk pregnancy occurs whenever complications arise which require careful observation and monitoring of the expectant mom. While this can occur outside of the context of an accident, serious car accidents can cause the complications which create a high-risk pregnancy. The observation and monitoring often come with significant expense (i.e., medical monitoring or hospital stays). As a woman with a high-risk pregnancy, you are likely to be unable to work, resulting in loss of income and maybe even employment.
Fetal Trauma
Around 80% of all deaths of unborn infants are caused by motor vehicle accidents. High-speed collisions can result in serious trauma to the baby's brain and body. It can occur as the result of an impact on the mother's womb, lack of oxygen to the mother and/or infant, or as the result of other complications from injury or even treatment.
Placental Abruption
A placental abruption is a serious injury which occurs when the placenta partially or completely separates from the uterus before the baby's birth. It can cause
- Vaginal bleeding
- Back pain
- Abdominal pain
- Uterine contractions
The condition can cause complications with the baby, as well as require intensive and expensive medical treatment.
Miscarriage
A miscarriage is arguably the most serious injury which can result from a severe accident. A miscarriage is an event which results in the death of the fetus during early pregnancy. The loss of a baby's life is devastating to all involved, especially to the mother.
What Compensation Can I Receive?
Depending on the circumstances of your case, you could be entitled to financial compensation in the form of
- Hospital bills;
- Other medical expenses;
- Future medical expenses;
- Long-term disability expenses;
- Lost wages, future wages, or loss of earning capacity damages;
- Pain and suffering; and/or
- Wrongful death.
The best way to prove your damages is with clear records. Keep copies of all bills, costs, invoices, treatment records, or anything else connected to your injury. Anything and everything could be important.
Consult a Washington Personal Injury Attorney
If you have suffered injuries as the result of a motor vehicle accident while pregnant, you need an experienced attorney who understands the personal injury process and how to effectively prove that another driver caused your injuries and the injuries to your unborn child.
Experienced personal injury attorney Quinn Posner represents clients in Camas, Washougal, Vancouver, and the rest of Clark County. Contact Quinn Posner today to schedule a free consultation.
