Air Force Approves $5M Settlement in Birth Injury Case

The Air Force has agreed to pay $5 million to the family of a young girl who suffered severe brain damage during birth. The girl is now blind and must live the rest of her life with spastic cerebral palsy.

Aubrey Duckworth was born in September 2004 to William and Lindsey Duckworth. At the time, her father worked as a civilian at Kadena Air Base in Japan, and Aubrey was born at a military hospital.

Difficult Birth

During the birth, the mother’s uterus ruptured and Aubrey suffered prolonged oxygen deprivation. In addition to cerebral palsy and blindness, Aubrey must also be fed through a tube in her stomach, attorney Patrick Malone said.

The family filed a claim under the Military Claims Act. The claim alleged that the nurse midwife attending to Aubrey’s birth was negligent for failing to call an obstetrician to help with the complex and high risk delivery.

Money Will Pay for Care

Malone said most of the settlement money will be put in a trust to help care for Aubrey.

“This money in no way makes up for the terrible and unnecessary tragedy that happened to the Duckworths. We hope that this will help encourage military hospitals to be more vigilant in how they manage childbirth,” said Malone in a statement.

(Source: Air Force News)

Does your child have cerebral palsy? If you suspect medical malpractice is to blame, contact a cerebral palsy lawyer who can help you explore your legal options.