If you have been in a car accident while expecting, you can sue for pregnancy complications if you can show how the auto accident harmed you and your baby. You take special care to live a healthy lifestyle and avoid harming yourself and your unborn child, but, unfortunately, accidents still happen.
Such a collision can severely harm a mother and her unborn child. If you are an expectant mother, you must seek medical attention immediately after a car accident. If the other driver was at fault for the crash, you should also seek legal counsel as soon as possible.
Pregnant Women Involved in Car Accidents Are at Major Risk
Even if you do not experience any visible signs of harm after your auto accident, you may still have sustained injuries that could threaten your unborn child’s health and your own. For example, one of the most dangerous consequences of an auto collision for pregnant women is placental abruption.
This condition causes the placenta to become partially or completely detached from the uterine wall. It deprives the unborn child of oxygen and essential nutrients and significantly increases the risk of heavy bleeding, miscarriage, or premature labor.
Although a placental abruption can cause internal bleeding and abdominal pain, sometimes the symptoms go undetected immediately after a car accident. This is why it is important to seek a medical assessment and treatment as soon as possible.
Damages You May Be Able to Claim After a Car Accident
Our Fort Lauderdale car accident lawyer will weigh your case, review the details and circumstances, and promptly seek adequate compensation on your behalf. You may be able to sue for:
- Medical expenses: This covers compensation for tests and examinations and any treatment related to the accident for you and your unborn child. It also covers the cost of an emergency C-section (cesarean section) if you need one after the accident.
- Loss of income: The liable party is responsible for any loss of earnings due to your inability to return to work while recovering from the accident.
- Long-term expenses: You can claim damages for long-term expenses associated with your permanent injuries and your child’s birth defects or other complications.
- Pain and suffering: You may also seek compensation for non-economic damages that the liable party’s negligence caused. This includes mental and emotional pain and suffering, the fear of having a miscarriage, and concerns and anxiety about possible threats to your unborn child’s health because of the accident.
- Wrongful death: Under the circumstances that you suffer a miscarriage as a result of a car accident, you can sue the liable party for wrongful death.
You can consult a lawyer about these routes to possible compensation to recover damages for your or your child’s injuries. This type of injury lawsuit is complicated, so a lawyer can advise you on your claim for damages and how much compensation you could receive. This will depend on several factors, for example, the extent of the injuries to you and your child and if they are long-term.
You Have a Limited Time to Sue for Damages
Even when your injuries may initially appear minor or improve within a few months, it may be best to wait until you have completed your pregnancy pursuing your claim or lawsuit. Still, your state’s statute of limitations sets a deadline on injury cases, so you must keep an eye on the calendar for that, too.
You can reach out to an injury lawyer who can advise on your case’s timeline. Once the deadline expires in your case, you risk losing out on your chance to pursue damages and hold the liable party accountable.
Signs to Watch for If You Are in a Car Accident While Pregnant
Although you may feel shaken and anxious, it’s not uncommon to feel otherwise all right at the time of the car accident. However, symptoms may develop over the days following the accident. If you experience any of these symptoms, you should not ignore them. Get in touch with your doctor straight away if you feel:
- Severe headache
- Abdominal pain
- Swelling in your face, hands, or feet
- Spotting or bleeding
- Dizziness or lightheadedness
- Repeated vomiting
- Loss of consciousness
These may be signs that you have incurred an internal injury from the car accident that may affect your pregnancy or the birth of your child.
Call Us Today for a Free Consultation
Our legal team is aware of the emotional and psychological suffering that mothers-to-be can go through after experiencing a car accident. That is why our attorneys will discuss your experience and the legal details with you with the utmost sensitivity.
Call the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine today for a free, confidential consultation. We will help you hold the liable party accountable for their negligence and pursue the monetary settlement you and your child deserve.
We Can Help.
