Car accidents are always frightening, but for pregnant women, the risk to their unborn child makes an accident even more distressing. A car accident while pregnant can raise present and future health concerns for both the mother and child. Then the mother is faced with the question of how she will pay for her medical treatment, and who will be on her side when she files her claim with the insurance company.
If you were involved in a car accident while pregnant, then you may be entitled to compensation for your medical bills, future medical care, lost wages, and other damages from the insurance company. A personal injury attorney can help answer questions you have about your rights under Georgia law. A car accident attorney from The Pendergrass Law Firm can help you recover noneconomic damages for emotional distress after a motor vehicle accident that caused premature birth, miscarriage or fetal death.
Car crashes can create a high risk pregnancy and result in serious injuries to the mother and the unborn baby such as placental disruption, uterine rupture and more. Every year in the U.S., roughly 92,500 pregnant women are injured in traffic accidents. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) report that car accidents are the leading cause of fetal death. When you have been involved in a car accident while pregnant, call the attorneys with years of experience helping other people just like you.
Steps to Take After a Car Accident While Pregnant
These are the steps you should take if you were involved in a car accident while pregnant. If there are injuries involved in the car crash, then call 911 immediately. You should call the police to report the accident. When officers arrive, they will write up a police report.
Exchange information with the other driver: name, address, phone number, email address, and auto insurance information. You should also get the contact information for passengers in their vehicle and people who were near the accident scene, since they can serve as witnesses. If you cannot get their contact information due to your injuries, then have someone else get that information for you.
Almost everyone these days has a camera on their phone that they can use to capture evidence at the scene of a car accident before police clear it. Take pictures of the scene of the car crash including details like the street names and speed limit signs, as well as a shot of the overall car accident scene. Again, if your injuries prevent you from being able to take photos yourself, then ask a witness to take photos for you.
You should see a doctor immediately for medical care and assessment for placental and uterine injury, especially if you feel cramping or other abdominal pain. Notify your provider if you’ve noticed a change in your baby’s movements, or no movement after the accident.
Lastly, call a car accident attorney who specializes in cases involving pregnant women. These cases are not quite like other types of auto accidents, so you need to work with an attorney who has a successful track record in winning favorable settlements for their clients who were pregnant when they were involved in a car crash. A trustworthy, empathetic attorney can fight for you while you recover physically and emotionally from automotive trauma.
What Not to Do After a Car Accident While Pregnant
Afterwards, you should focus on your recovery and follow the instructions of both your doctor and your lawyer. Failure to comply with your treatment plan can affect your case. Insurance companies become suspicious of people who claim to have been injured in accidents, but fail to keep going to the doctor as it can look like the individual is not as injured as they say they are. The health of you and your child is dependent on the care that you get, so make sure that you follow your doctor’s orders.
Don’t post anything on social media about your car accident. Do not say that you feel fine or say anything that could be misconstrued as admitting fault. In fact, most personal injury attorneys agree that staying off social media is the best thing for any case. The insurance companies hire private investigators to scour social media profiles to find evidence of fraud. What they are usually looking for are pictures or posts that show that you are not as injured as you say you are. If you post about taking an evening walk to clear your mind after the accident, but said that the accident has made walking difficult, then the insurance will use your post against you. It’s better in general not to post anything related to your accident.
Can a Pregnant Woman Survive a Car Crash?
Even a low impact car accident while pregnant has the potential to cause serious health concerns for both you and your unborn baby. Although a pregnant woman may survive the car accident, her unborn baby might not. However, if the mother suffers uterine rupture or placental abruption, then the pregnant woman could bleed to death if she does not get proper medical treatment immediately. It’s impossible to know immediately after an accident if both the mother and baby are fine unless the pregnant woman is checked by a doctor who can assess her injuries and order the correct diagnostic tests to check on the developing fetus.
A car accident while pregnant can cause myriad health problems. Possible pregnancy complications resulting from car accidents include premature birth, placental abruption, miscarriage, and pre-eclampsia. Placental disruption is one of the serious injuries that cause brain damage in an unborn child during an auto accident. When pregnant women hit solid objects during an auto accident, like the steering wheel, the placenta can become detached from the inner wall of the womb prior to delivery.
If you have been involved in a car accident while pregnant, then you should seek medical attention right away. A hospital will be able to provide all the necessary diagnostic testing and professional care to help you. Then call our law firm in Gwinnett County to schedule a free case evaluation with a car accident attorney.
Can a Car Accident Cause Miscarriage?
Auto accidents can led to myriad injuries to both mother and baby, and result in miscarriage. It is estimated that between 1,500 and 5,000 fetal deaths occur every year in the U.S. due to car crashes. Miscarriages can happen, because the placenta pulls away from the uterine wall, disrupting the flow of oxygen and nutrients to the baby. Every second counts once that connection has been severed, and the baby and mother need medical attention immediately. Uterine rupture, by contrast, is when the uterus ruptures and the unborn child can pass into the mother’s abdomen or other organs, putting both mother and child at serious risk of bleeding and death.
If you were involved in a car accident while pregnant and you suffered a miscarriage, then you may be entitled to damages from the at-fault driver or another party, like the car manufacturer. The only way to know what damages you could be entitled to is to speak to a personal injury attorney who can advise you. Our attorneys put in the hard work of determining who is at fault for your accident, and seeking justice on your behalf. Oftentimes, it is another driver who is at fault in the accident, such as a drunk driver or a driver who ran a red light. The most common causes of car accidents are speeding, driving under the influence, distracted driving and driving while fatigued.
A miscarriage is both physically and emotionally traumatic for the expectant mother. Call The Pendergrass Law Firm at (404) 348-4511 to speak to an experienced and compassionate attorney about your case. We can explain what economic and noneconomic damages you may be entitled to, such as emotional distress, mental anguish and pain and suffering.
Can a Car Accident Cause Brain Damage to a Fetus?
When a woman is involved in a car accident while pregnant, the baby can suffer subdural hematoma, intraparenchymal and intraventricular hemorrhage, brain atrophy or other injuries. When an airbag deploys and impacts the pregnant woman’s abdomen, it causes brain and head trauma. The intense stress of the impact can cause placental abruption, which is when the placenta detaches from the wall of the womb, resulting in a decrease or block of the baby’s supply of oxygen and nutrients, and causes pregnant women to bleed. Placental abruption requires immediate medical attention to save both the baby and the pregnant woman.
A child whose mother was involved in a car accident while pregnant can grow up disabled due to the injuries they sustained in utero. There could be complications related to their premature birth, such as low birth weight and neonatal respiratory distress syndrome. The child could live with lifelong challenges due to the accident. It’s important that you speak to your car accident attorney if you are concerned about how you will pay for your child’s medical bills as they grow older.
If you’ve been involved in a car accident while pregnant that caused contrecoup injuries, then you may be able to recover your damages in a personal injury case. The Pendergrass Law Firm is here to fight for your compensation from the party that is liable for your auto accident. We gather the facts from your medical records, eyewitness testimony, photos and video footage from the accident scene, expert witness testimony and the police report.
Safety Tips For Driving While Pregnant
Auto accidents can cause premature labor. In fact, the CDC says that car accidents are the leading cause of fetal death and maternal trauma in the United States. Here are some ways to protect yourself:
- Wear a seat belt as protection against car accident injuries by keeping the lap belt below your belly, and the shoulder belt across your chest but over your belly.
- Avoid the danger of getting hit by the wheel by having friends or family members drive for you.
- Keep emergency contact information on you when you drive.
- If you are taking medications that cause drowsiness, then have someone else drive for you to avoid an accident.
- If you must drive while pregnant, then keep 10 inches between your breastbone and the steering wheel. If you can tilt your wheel, then tilt it toward the breastbone.
- Avoid distractions. Pregnant women have a lot on their mind with a baby on the way, but mental distractions are one of the three most common types that lead to auto accidents. The other two are visual distractions and manual distractions, like texting while driving.
Call Now if You Were in a Car Accident While Pregnant
Pregnant women who have been involved in a car accident deserve compassionate and experienced representation. We leave no stone unturned when building you a strong case so that you can receive the maximum compensation for your severe injuries. We stand up to the insurance company and fight for your full compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, and emotional distress.
You should discuss your car accident while pregnant settlement with a personal injury attorney from The Pendergrass Law Firm. We start each case with a free consultation to discuss the car accident and get to know you. You can trust that any sensitive information shared with us is kept confidential through the attorney client relationship and that our experienced attorneys will walk you through every step of the legal process. We work diligently to build you a strong case so that you can receive the maximum compensation for your severe injuries. We stand up to the insurance company and fight for your full compensation for your medical bills, lost wages and emotional distress.
With years of experience helping victims of motor vehicle accidents in Gwinnett County, you can trust the car accident attorneys at The Pendergrass Law Firm. Call (404) 348-4511 to schedule your free case evaluation with one of our personal injury attorneys.
