Auto Accidents During Pregnancy May Increase Cerebral Palsy Risk: Study

The findings of a new study suggest that pregnant women who are involved in an auto accident may face an increased risk of giving birth to a child with cerebral palsy. 

In a study published last month in the medical journal BMJ Open, Canadian researchers found that being in a crash while pregnant appeared to increase the risk of having a child with a cerebral palsy by nearly 30%.

Cerebral palsy is a neurological disorder that is usually attributed to brain damage suffered before, during or shortly after birth. A lack of oxygen to the baby’s brain may result in the irreversible damage that leaves them with a life-time disability, including limitations on motor function and other developmental problems.

Researchers from the University of Toronto investigated to determine if pregnancy complications associated with auto accidents were associated with an increased cerebral palsy. They looked at data on 1.3 million babies born in Ontario, Canada between April 2002 and March 2012.

According to the findings, pregnancy auto accidents were associated with a 29% increased risk of cerebral palsy diagnosis. That number increased to 138% when they looked specifically at pre-term births that occurred after an auto accident. That equates to an absolute increase of 10.9 extra cases of cerebral palsy per every 1,000 births, the researchers determined.

“Motor vehicle crashes during pregnancy may be associated with an increased risk of cerebral palsy among the subgroup of cases with preterm birth,” the researchers concluded. “The increase highlights a specific role for traffic safety advice in prenatal care.”

In many cases, cerebral palsy is caused by a medical mistake, where the child’s brain was deprived of oxygen at, during or before birth.

While cerebral palsy may occur without an error, when the exercise of the proper standards of medical care could have prevented the child’s brain from being deprived of oxygen, parents may be able to investigate potential cerebral palsy negligence lawsuits earlier, to determine whether financial compensation may be available for the child.