Don’t Bump the Bump: Car Accidents During Pregnancy
Pregnant women are especially vulnerable in car accidents. The anatomy of pregnant women impedes proper lap belt positioning. It is also difficult for pregnant women to sit at an appropriate distance from the steering wheel and airbags. As a result, pregnant women involved in car accidents may sustain serious injuries to herself and her unborn child. Pregnant women involved in crashes, even minor ones, should immediately seek medical attention.
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.
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.
PREMATURE BIRTH
Premature birth, also called preterm birth, is defined as the birth of an infant before 37 weeks of a pregnancy. 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. Pearlman MD, Tintinalli JE, Lorenz RP, et al. Trauma in Pregnancy. Annals of Emergency Medicine. 1988;17(8):829–834.
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. Bowdler N, Faix RG, Elkins T. Fetal Skull Fracture and Brain Injury After a Maternal Automobile Accident: A Case Report. Journal of Reproductive Medicine. 1987;32(5):375–378.
Not only can this injury occur to the expectant mother, but also to the unborn child. Serious brain damage can result, requiring lifelong treatment.
PLACENTAL ABRUPTION
Placental abruption occurs in 1 to 5% of minor severity crashes during pregnancy and from 20 to 50% of severe crashes during pregnancy. The injury occurs when the placenta detaches from the uterine wall, disrupting the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the fetus. Placental abruption is the most common cause of fetal loss in automotive crashes. Pearlman MD, Tintinalli JE, Lorenz RP, et al. Trauma in Pregnancy. Annals of Emergency Medicine. 1988;17(8):829–834.
UTERINE INJURY
Uterine rupture and lacerations are rare during pregnancy, occurring in less than 1% of pregnant trauma cases. Injury to the uterus in automotive accidents occurs almost exclusively during pregnancy (compared to any other time) because it is much larger, extends outside the pelvic cavity, and is filled with fluid. While uterine rupture is very rare, the likelihood of fetal death with such an injury is near 100%. Matthews CD. Incorrectly Used Seat Belt Associated with Uterine Rupture Following Vehicular Collision. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 1975;121(8):1115–1116.
MISCARRIAGE
A miscarriage is one of the most serious injuries 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.
Auto accident cases involving pregnant injury victims are anything but simple. Medical conditions and legal issues make these cases far more complicated than personal injury cases involving victims who are not pregnant. Plus, dealing with insurance companies and their shady tactics can be detrimental to your unborn baby’s health. This is why it is so important for pregnant car crash victims to consult with an experienced Washington auto accident attorney about their legal rights.
Northwest Women’s Injury Law knows how to handle the challenges of cases involving pregnant injury victims. We protect victims’ rights to be fully and fairly compensated for all the losses they suffer. This includes tangible medical expenses, like fetal monitoring and visits to pregnancy specialists. It also includes your intangible losses, like the added worry for your unborn child, and the stress of added pregnancy complications. It is important to hire a personal injury lawyer who knows how to prove these losses and recover fair compensation for them.
Call (425) 818-5331 to schedule your free consultation. Don’t delay – the sooner you have an attorney fighting for you, the better protected your legal rights (and those of your unborn baby) will be.