After being involved in a traffic accident, the first thing to do is to determine the severity of the injuries to both the driver and the passengers in your vehicle, especially if someone was in the car accident while pregnant. If the crash occurred with another car (even a low impact car accident while pregnant), you must do the same for the passengers in the other vehicle, because if there are any serious injuries involved, you should call an ambulance immediately.
In addition, you should contact the police to make statements for those involved and not leave from the accident scene. Next, you should contact your lawyer and insurance company with the evidence that will be given to you by the authorities, which you will need to discuss a car accident while pregnant settlement.
After these first actions, you must know what to do after a car accident:
- Exchange insurance information with the drivers involved in the accident, if it’s a hit and run learn more here.
- Get names and phone numbers of people who can serve as witnesses. With this you can make the work of the police and insurance easier, not to mention help your potential settlement (and compensation) for being pregnant and injured in a car crash.
- You must take note of the name of the police officer who took the statements and who will give ultimately offer the police report.
If you have been injured in a car accident, the skilled legal team at Avrek Law is ready to help with more than 50 years of combined experience. Each client matters to us, and we’ll fight for you and your family.
A Car Accident While Pregnant Has Unique Risks
Decreased muscle capacity, reflexes, balance, as well as changes in circulation can cause fainting and reduce the ability of the pregnant woman to respond to an accident, according to professional physicians. In spite of this, the amniotic fluid and the uterine wall serve as protection for the baby.
If you are involved in a car accident while pregnant, you should seek medical attention. The life expectancy of a woman and her child after an accident will depend, to a large extent, on medical management, and there are a number of particular aspects that should be considered when treating a pregnant woman, since their biology is temporarily different.
For example, when a pregnant woman faints on the street after a traffic accident, do not lift her feet because the uterus presses important blood vessels. This makes it difficult for blood to reach the heart and lungs and will make the situation worse. Specialists also note that many times the radiological examinations are not done to the mother in fear of damaging the fetus. This is a mistake, as the risk of this procedure is small compared to what it means to not have a diagnosis of the maternal trauma following a high or low impact car accident while pregnant.
It is always advisable to seek medical treatment after a car accident. The list of things to worry about, like airbags deflating, is long, so it’s always better to be safe.
What Is a High-Risk Pregnancy?
A high-risk pregnancy is the type that has the greatest chance of complications, both from the point of view of the mother and the baby. Therefore, the control during gestation, childbirth and puerperium must be more complete in order to avoid any possible risks. Only 10% of pregnancies are considered high-risk, although there is no unanimous agreement on which ones should be considered as such, since the reasons that cause a high-risk pregnancy are variable and may occur before, during or after gestation.
The term “high risk” refers to medical, social, gynecological or obstetrical circumstances that could put the health of the mother, the baby or both at risk with a probability higher than that of the general population during gestation, delivery or the puerperium.
Risk to The Baby After the Accident
Professionals from the Institute of Clinical Evaluation Sciences (ICES) and the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto in Ontario (Canada) have explained that, even if it is a minor traffic accident, a car crash can have serious consequences for a woman and a developing fetus. In fact, driving safely is one of the prenatal care measures that should be taken by the pregnant woman.
It is rare for a single crash to affect the fetus, but what can happen is that if the trauma is severe, the placenta could detach itself during the crash, becoming a direct threat to the life of the mother and the child.
Can I Receive a Settlement for Miscarriage Due to Car Accident?
If you have symptoms of miscarriage, call your doctor right away so that you can determine if you have a problem that requires urgent attention. Vaginal bleeding is usually the first symptom of a miscarriage, however, keep in mind that one in four pregnant women lose some blood or experience spotting early in pregnancy, and most of these pregnancies do not end in miscarriage.
Abdominal pain is also a sign of trouble. As a general rule, this pain starts after noticing some bleeding, and can be in the form of cramps or be persistent, mild or strong, and feel like a pain in the lower back or like pressure in the pelvis. If a woman has bleeding and abdominal pain at the same time, the chances of the pregnancy continuing are much lower.
If a woman has been involved in a car accident that has directly caused a miscarriage, she may be eligible for settlement compensation. It is always in the woman’s best interest to first seek medical advice, and then to speak with an experienced lawyer like those at Avrek Law about the next steps she should take in pregnant car accident compensation for her injuries and damages.
Premature Birth
A premature birth occurs when you begin to feel regular contractions that make your cervix (the channel that connects the uterus with the vagina) begin to open or to lose weight before the 37th week of pregnancy. When you give birth before week 37, the baby is also considered premature.
If your delivery starts prematurely, that does not mean you will give birth to a premature baby. About half of women that experience the onset of preterm birth end up giving birth at 37 weeks or later, and about a quarter of all preterm births are planned.
For example, the medical team may decide to induce labor or use cesarean section before 37 weeks of pregnancy due to a serious medical complication, such as severe preeclampsia, or because the baby has stopped growing.
What is Placental Abruption?
The placenta attaches to the wall of the uterus (womb) and supplies food and oxygen to the baby through the umbilical cord. Abruption of the placenta is a serious condition in which the placenta separates from the wall of the uterus before delivery.
The placenta can be partially or completely separated. If this happens, the baby may not get enough oxygen and nutrients in the womb, and the mother may also have severe bleeding.
Stats on Car Crashes with Pregnant Women
According to an article published in May 1992 in The Journal of Trauma, between 10-30% of trauma in pregnancy ends with maternal death and, of this percentage, 90% is accompanied by immediate fetal or neonatal death. However, it is important to clarify that these figures refer to violent events, mainly traffic accidents, which concentrate the highest maternal and fetal mortality (33% and 47%, respectively).
An article in the Canadian Medical Association Journal claims that traffic accidents put the mother and baby at risk of fetal death, chronic disability and emergency medical care. The authors analyzed 507,262 pregnant women to see if the common characteristics of pregnancy, such as nausea, fatigue, insomnia and distraction could contribute to a human error and increase the risk of traffic accidents requiring urgent medical attention.
During the three years prior to pregnancy, women suffered 6,922 accidents (177 per month), while in the second trimester of their pregnancies, these same women suffered 757 traffic accidents as drivers (252 per month).
Tips to Protect Yourself from a Low Impact Car Accident While Pregnant
How to reduce the risk of car accidents while pregnant:
- Drive as little as possible, because in pregnancy there is a decrease in reflexes and, in the face of an accident, there is a risk of compromising your gestation.
- Always use a seat belt if driving. In the case of a crash, this mechanism protects the mother and the child.
- Don’t use cellphones while you drive, avoid using Uber and other rideshare companies as they now have your destiny in their hands.
- Shoes with cleats are not recommended, because they affect the balance.
- Avoid physical impact movements, such as jumping, because they increase the risk of having a hard pregnancy.
- If you are injured in a car accident, you can always fight a police report if you feel it’s not correct.
What Happens to a Family When They Lose a Baby?
Losing a baby is, for many families, the painful end to their dreams and hopes related to becoming a parent. Doctors, nurses and friends often ignore this and do not know how to act with the suffering that follows and with the pain that accompanies said family.
It is a very strong blow, not only for the body of the woman, but also for the mind of both parents. Their dreams of being a parent and of having their baby soon in their arms crumble at that moment.
It is normal for you to be sad about losing your baby. Your body and your mind were preparing to be a parent, and it’s hard for you to resume your life as it was before. Thinking “nothing has happened here” is something impossible to do.
At the end of the day, you will need a reputable law firm like Avrek Law to help you navigate the legal process and determine what your pregnancy car accident compensation you are entitled to and what your car accident settlement is worth.
Take Time to Understand
After low impact car accident while pregnant and losing a baby, your feelings will be confused for a while, which is completely normal. At first you may begin by denying everything and it will be difficult for you to understand. It’s hard to get the idea that there’s no longer a baby on board, and the more advanced the pregnancy, the stronger the impact for you, and the longer you’ll need to recover.
When you finally realize the loss of your pregnancy, your mind will have many ways to deal with it. You can feel anger towards yourself, towards your partner, towards the world, towards nature, etc. You may even question your faith and think it is an injustice or a punishment. You may also feel guilty, thinking that you did not take enough care of yourself; that you could hurt your baby unintentionally or that you are not as healthy as you thought.
All this is normal and families who have lost a pregnancy have gone through the same thing, but keep in mind that while having this type of thoughts is common, it does not mean that they are true. Families go through a lot of trauma after their loss, so if you need to fill a claim for an accident, we know how to deal with the case so you can focus on healing both emotionally and physically.
What is the Average Settlement for a Car Accident While Pregnant?
Every car accident and the circumstances surrounding it are different, including those involving a pregnant woman. If you have been involved in and injured during a car accident, and you and your baby have suffered any level of trauma, it’s important to speak to a knowledgeable personal injury lawyer as soon as possible. The experienced attorneys at Avrek Law Firm can will build a strong case based on the details of your incident, so that you can receive the maximum amount of compensation for your injuries and damages.
The decision to hire an attorney after a car accident while pregnant is important, and Avrek Law’s proven track record of recovering more than $1 Billion for clients speaks for itself. Contact us or fill out a form for a free consultation – we’re here to help!
