Car crashes are increasingly causing traumatic fetal death and death in pregnant women. When you are pregnant, any kind of minor or major accident can pose a great risk to your and your baby’s health. If you experience a car accident, the complications can be fatal.
It can be emotionally devastating to lose your unborn child or see them get injured in an accident caused by someone else’s negligence. You should know your rights and do as much as possible to protect your unborn child. A Florida car accident attorney can be the guidance you need to go through this emotional time.
Pregnancy complications after a car crash:
Unborn children are at increased risk of acquiring life-threatening injuries after a car accident. Some of these injuries include the following.
- Placental abruption
Placental abruption is a serious pregnancy condition where the placenta separates from the inner wall of the womb or uterus before the baby’s birth. The baby becomes deprived of oxygen and nutrients inside the mother’s womb, which leads to complications.
- Contrecoup injury
Contrecoup injury occurs when your body is forced to jerk in one direction in a car accident. The sudden movement can cause the fetus or baby to shake and suffer from birth defects and developmental delays.
- Premature birth
When the baby takes birth before the 37th week, it is called premature birth. Premature babies are likely to suffer complications such as slow weight gain, immature lungs, difficulty regulating body temperature, and poor feeding.
- Miscarriage
When an unborn child dies in the mother’s womb before the 20th week of pregnancy, it is a miscarriage. Miscarriage occurs when the fetus stops developing normally inside the mother’s womb.
What are your rights?
Depending on the type of accident (follow this link to understand the differences between a single-car, two-car and multiple-car accident), you may be entitled to different amounts of compensation.
Losing a child or seeing your child acquire health problems because of someone else’s fault can be physically and emotionally painful.
If you or your baby require medical help, you can recover compensation for medical costs from the at-fault driver. Other damages that you may be able to recover include lost wages, loss of future earnings, psychological therapy, and pain and suffering.
The first thing you should do after getting medical attention after a road accident is to lawyer up for legal guidance so as to get appropriate compensation and ensure that the at-fault driver undergoes an investigation. In that respect, you can explore vehicle accident attorneys in Houston or wherever you are situated to hire a reputed and experienced lawyer.
If you suffered a miscarriage due to the accident, your attorney can file a wrongful death lawsuit and recover pain and suffering damages for the loss of companionship.
Dealing with a car accident’s psychological trauma and physical injuries is difficult enough. When you add the loss of your unborn child to it, the situation becomes unbearable. Not only will you suffer from emotional trauma, but you will also be burdened with medical bills. The wise option here is to hire an attorney to handle the case on your behalf.