Injuries To Pregnant Women In Philadelphia

When a pregnant woman gets hurt in an accident in Philadelphia, the repercussions can be severe, both for her own health and for the health of her unborn baby. Depending on the type and severity of the accident, a pregnant woman can suffer the same wide variety of injuries that others can suffer. However, because they are pregnant, there exists the chance of a serious complication that can make things worse. Finally, the accident can implicate the unborn baby in ways that can be life-threatening.

If you or someone you love has been pregnant and been hurt in an accident in the Philadelphia area, having legal representation can ensure that you get the compensation you need and deserve after such a terrible ordeal.

Personal Injuries to Pregnant Women in Philadelphia

Overall, pregnant women are just as susceptible to accidents as anyone else, from car accidents to dog bites to slipping and falling in a store. The effects of these accidents, though, are felt by both the soon-to-be mother and her unborn child.

Injuries to Pregnant Women

In accidents like these, pregnant women are just as likely as others to suffer the kinds of injuries one would expect, from broken bones to lacerations to back injuries.

However, pregnant women face additional dangers, precisely because they are pregnant.

• An increased risk of developing high blood pressure from the stress of the accident.
• Labor complications from an injury.
• Preeclampsia.
• Miscarriage.

Should the complications result in the loss of the unborn baby, there can be additional symptoms, as well.

• Mental anguish.
• Severe depression.

Additionally, because pregnant women are already under lots of stress from carrying their baby, they have an increased risk of other injuries, as well. One of these is whiplash, which can already be a common injury for people in car accidents or who have slipped and fallen. For pregnant women, the odds of sustaining a whiplash increase even more.

Injuries to Unborn Babies

Accidents to pregnant women can also end up hurting the unborn baby, as well. Even minor jostles can disrupt a child’s development in utero, or cause an injury that is difficult to detect while they are in their mother’s womb. This poses a serious problem for doctors and expectant mothers, as detecting, diagnosing, and treating a baby while it is in utero is incredibly difficult, but also incredibly important if the unborn child is to have a full life.

Some of the more common injuries that an unborn child can have when a pregnant woman is involved in an accident are birth defects, developmental delays, concussion, or miscarriage.

Common Causes of Injury to Pregnant Women

There are lots of ways that a pregnant woman can get hurt in or near the city of Philadelphia. Some of the most common include the following.

• Medical malpractice. Pregnant women in Philadelphia visit plenty of doctors over the course of their pregnancy. If any one of them makes a mistake, the effects can be felt by both mother and child. One of the most common mistakes is prescribing medication that will interact with other medication in an adverse way. In many instances, the implications of medical malpractice are dire, particularly for the unborn baby, whose development in utero can be drastically altered by a chemical imbalance caused by the mistake.
• Slip and fall accidents. Pregnant women are far less mobile or agile than they normally are. With the onset of pregnancy, the sudden weight of carrying a child can make even the most athletic woman less sure of herself and more prone to slipping and falling over dangerous conditions that they would otherwise not have had a problem navigating. The jolt of a slip and fall incident, unfortunately, can have serious implications on the unborn baby.
• Car crashes. Car accidents can happen to anyone, including pregnant women. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that between one and three out of every hundred children were involved in a car crash while they were in utero.

Any one of these instances can lead to serious injuries to both mother and unborn child.

Legal Damages Suffered by Pregnant Women and Unborn Children

Pennsylvania’s personal injury law recognizes that both mother and child suffer in these circumstances and aims to compensate them both in a successful personal injury lawsuit. This compensation goes further than just reimbursement for your medical bills, though.

• Damages for pain and suffering. While it is difficult to put a dollar amount on the physical pain and the mental and emotional suffering that mother and child have gone through, that does not mean that it did not happen. The personal injury law in Pennsylvania puts the question of how much you and your baby have gone through to the jury for them to decide what you should recover. In many cases, this can be quite substantial, especially if the injuries that your unborn child has suffered will be an obstacle throughout their future.
• Lost income and earning capacity. Perhaps even more importantly, especially for your unborn child if they have suffered developmental delays in the accident that will disable them for life, is compensation for lost income and earning capacity. In some cases, recovering your child’s lost ability to earn a living is the best way to ensure they get to enjoy a life that is full and rewarding.

Of course, a successful personal injury lawsuit can also recover reimbursement for your medical expenses – both those you have accumulated already and those you will likely incur in the future.

Philadelphia Personal Injury Lawyers for Pregnant Women

The personal injury attorneys at the Philadelphia law office of Gilman & Bedigian strive to represent pregnant women and their unborn children in court if they have been hurt through someone else’s negligence. By fighting for your rights and interests on your behalf, we can ensure you get the financial compensation that you need to overcome the obstacles thrown in your way. Contact us online for the help you need.