The family of a Honolulu newborn left with permanent birth injuries during an alleged botched military hospital delivery received an $11 million settlement from the U.S. government, according to recent news reports. Reports detail that the newborn suffered permanent brain damage as a result of "a series of egregious medical errors" during the birth of a now 4-year-old child in 2005.

The suit claimed that due to the improperly conducted medical procedure their child was denied air, which resulted in cerebral palsy. This condition is an umbrella term encompassing a group of non-progressive, non-contagious conditions that cause physical disability in human development, mostly in the areas of body movement. In this child's case, she will never walk or talk and will need to be fed through a tube.

According to an article, this was caused when her umbilical cord was wrapped tightly around her neck during delivery. The suit claims that after they discovered the wrapped cord, a first-year intern inserted an oxygen tube that delivered air to the child's stomach instead of her lungs. This mistake was not corrected for nearly 40 mins and by that time the severe brain damage had already occurred.

The hospital commented that it has made changes in its procedures to ensure this does not happen again. According to the settlement, the money will be paid to the family of the girl in monthly payment for the life of the child, regardless of how long she lives. If the child lives to the age of 60, the trust would pay out nearly $25 million.

Source: Navy Times "$11M settlement in botched baby delivery" 09/22/2010