The phrase "early casualty" refers to someone or something that is harmed or affected negatively at an early stage or in the beginning of a particular situation or activity. Full definition
Coral reefs are early casualties of climate change, but not every coral reacts the same way to the stress of ocean warming. (sciencedaily.com)
One early casualty of Audi's electric strategy was the R8 e-tron supercar; the automaker quietly announced its demise last week after less than 100 examples were reportedly built and actually delivered to customers in Europe. (autoweek.com)
Frequently, in the rush to realize the aforementioned «synergies» and cost reductions, early casualties are education reimbursement benefits, career development training or even long - term incentive plans. (entrepreneur.com)