Pittsburgh Birth Defect Lawyers

Skilled Medical Malpractice Attorneys Help Clients Recover Full Compensation and Justice in Complex Birth Defects Cases in Pittsburgh, PA

Despite significant advances in prenatal care, hundreds of thousands of children are born every year with some sort of birth defect. While some birth defects are plainly obvious or even visible structural defects, including heart defects, spina bifida, or other skeletomuscular malformations, many children are instead born with functional birth defects. A functional birth defect includes any abnormality in some bodily function, which typically does not become apparent until weeks, months, or even years after a child’s birth — examples include autism, learning disorders, attention deficit disorders, or other intellectual or emotional impairments. 

Unfortunately, unlike a birth injury that occurs during delivery, a birth defect is one that forms in the child while he or she is still in the womb. Physicians and other medical professionals who care for pregnant women should provide care to mothers that help reduce the risk of birth defects in the womb and monitor for noticeable defects in a fetus — some birth defects can be treated once a child is born or potentially even while a child is still in the womb. Establishing that your child’s birth defect was preventable or treatable and that your child has suffered harm due to the negligence of your health care providers can be a very difficult task. An experienced medical malpractice attorney will know what it takes to establish the factual and legal basis for a medical malpractice claim arising from birth defects.

If you believe that your child has suffered from a birth defect that was caused by or went undetected by your physician or other medical provider, contact the Pittsburgh birth defects lawyers at Berger Lagnese & Paul, LLC today for a free case evaluation to discuss your case in further detail with one of our knowledgeable attorneys.

Causes of Birth Defects in Pittsburgh

Parents often get birth defects and birth injuries confused with one another — while birth injuries happen during childbirth and are frequently the result of healthcare providers’ negligence, birth defects slowly develop as the child grows in the womb. However, parents often still have questions as to why their child developed a birth defect — in particular, whether anyone is responsible for having caused their child’s birth defect. Although many birth defects are the result of inherited genes, other birth defects have an environmental cause, or may result from negligent medical supervision of mother and baby.

Some of the most common causes of birth defects include:

• Environmental toxins, such as pesticides/herbicides and other substances that are typically sprayed or released into the environment
• Toxic chemicals, such as those typically used in industrial and manufacturing applications, including solvents, paints, and other processing chemical
• Pharmaceuticals, including prescription medications and over-the-counter drugs, which can lead to defects when pharmaceutical companies fail to do adequate clinical testing or follow-up surveillance of the risks of birth defects
• Groundwater contamination, including tap water contamination

When your child is suffering from a birth defect that was caused by negligent medical care or that was not timely detected by your treating providers, the attorneys of Berger Lagnese & Paul, LLC will work to hold those negligent professionals accountable for the difficulties your child has and will endure as a result of his or her birth defects.

Aggressive Pittsburgh Birth Injury Lawyers from Berger Lagnese & Paul, LLC Hold Negligent and Reckless Parties Accountable for Causing Birth Defects

It is an unfortunate reality that many birth defects go undetected until after a child is born. However, doctors today have access to plenty of diagnostic equipment and testing that will allow them to detect when a child may be suffering from one or more different kinds of birth defects. When a family learns that their child to be born is suffering from serious birth defects that will cause the child to experience significant pain and difficulties and/or to have a short life, the family may choose to terminate the pregnancy rather than put their child through immense suffering. Other families may choose to welcome their child no matter what difficulties they may face or how short of a time they may have. But when medical providers fail to diagnose detectable birth defects in the womb, they take this choice away from families. And when certain defects could be treated shortly after birth or even in the womb, healthcare providers’ negligence in failing to detect birth defects becomes a contributing cause to the pain and suffering that a child will experience. 

At Berger Lagnese & Paul, LLC, our Pittsburgh medical malpractice attorneys will not rest until we’ve gotten your family the fair and full compensation your child and your family deserves for damages, including medical treatment and rehabilitation expenses, long-term care costs, pain and suffering, and lost quality of life.

Contact Us Today for a Free Case Review with One of Our Knowledgeable Birth Injury Lawyers to Discuss Your Pittsburgh Birth Defects Case

If your child has suffered birth defects due to another party’s negligence or legal fault, let our knowledgeable birth injury attorneys fight to hold those responsible for your child’s injuries and disabilities accountable to provide you and your family with the financial compensation you need for your child’s medical treatment and long-term care. Contact our firm to schedule a free, no-obligation initial consultation with a member of our legal team to learn more about your legal rights and options and about how Berger Lagnese & Paul, LLC can take on the hard work of securing the maximum compensation your family needs and deserves.

Frequently Asked Questions about Birth Defects in Pittsburgh, PA