3 Steps to Take Following a Car Accident While Pregnant
Being pregnant can be exciting, but it can also be a little scary. You don’t know what is going to happen from one day to the next, but one of the most important things you can do is listen to your doctor. He or she has likely spoken to you about wearing a seat belt any time you are in a moving vehicle, and there’s a good reason for that. Not only does it protect you, it protects your unborn child by offering an extra layer of safety around the placenta, which directly protects your child. If you do happen to get in a car accident while you’re pregnant, the following are three steps to take.
- Request Paramedics
You can’t take any chances when you’re pregnant, so don’t refuse medical care and don’t try to drive yourself to the hospital if there are paramedics who can do it. Make sure the paramedics know how far along you are so they can properly monitor you and your baby on the way to the hospital. Whether or not the emergency room doctor suggests you visit your OB/GYN, it’s smart to make an appointment anyway to get the care you and baby will need while recovering.
- Call Someone for Support
Depending on your stage of pregnancy, and depending on the type of accident you are in, it’s possible the trauma could put your body into labor. There’s also a possibility the doctors will induce you and do an emergency birth because of damage done to you or the baby. In any case, it will probably help you to have someone there who can offer support and be a calming presence. This might include your spouse, a sibling, a best friend, a child, a parent, or anyone else you trust to be there for you in this trying time.
- Do What the Doctor Orders
After meeting with both an emergency room doctor and your OB/GYN, do everything they order you to do. If this means you need to take some time off from work, do it. If this means you go to the doctor’s office every other day to monitor the baby, do it. There’s no reason to take a risk and make the situation worse. Ask the doctors for warning signs so you know what to look for in the coming days, weeks and months.
Contact an Experienced Lawyer
There’s a chance you can recover compensation to help you pay for all your accident-related medical bills. Contact an experienced car accident lawyer, like a car accident lawyer in Woodland Hills, CA, for help figuring it out.
Thanks to the law offices of Barry P. Goldberg for their insight into what you need to do if you are pregnant and involved in a car accident.