Auto Accident Lawyer
Pregnancy is a time of great joy and also worry. Even if you’ve had children already and anticipate what will happen, you may still worry about your baby developing normally and the pregnancy progressing smoothly. If you get in a car accident while pregnant, your emotions and stress may hit an all-time high. Knowing that your baby is healthy and that your pregnancy is not affected is at the forefront of your mind. Seek medical attention to ensure that you do not succumb to one of these common causes of fetal mortality after a car accident.
Blunt Force Trauma
Whether the crash was low-speed or high, the forces imposed on your car and body caused quite a violent reaction to occur. Your seatbelt tightened around your belly, and there is a possibility that the airbag hit with enough force to cause bruising. Over 80 percent of fetuses who die after a car accident do so because of trauma to the mother’s body, more particularly, to the abdomen. These can cause brain injuries, a loss of oxygen to the fetus and distress due to the mother’s own organ failure.
Placental Abruption
When the placenta tears away from the uterus, it can cause severe consequences to the fetus and the mother. During an accident, it is possible that this separation occurred, and while pain is usually a telltale sign, depending on the severity, the mother may not feel anything at first. However, the damage is being done at an alarmingly fast rate. Blood is pooling inside the mother’s abdomen, and the baby is being cut off from vital resources like oxygen. Trauma to the belly is often the cause of placental abruption in an accident, and the baby may be born prematurely, or it may result in miscarriage.
Miscarriage
Risks of a miscarriage are low when the mother is involved in a car accident. During the early stages of pregnancy, the fetus is well protected within the walls of the mother’s abdomen. Amniotic fluid is plentiful and provides a cushion for the slowly developing fetus. If the mother sustains serious injuries that cause her to stop breathing or go into cardiac arrest, however, the chance of a miscarriage climbs substantially.
After an accident, no matter how minor, you should get checked out immediately. You don’t want to find out that you delayed treatment to yourself and subsequently to your unborn baby. Look for a car accident lawyer for support during the painful aftermath of a pregnancy-related medical event due to a car crash.
Source: Auto Accident Lawyer Canoga Park, CA, Barry P. Goldberg