Waiting for treatment in the emergency room always seems like it takes forever. A visit to the ER is a series of “hurry up and wait” cycles, from triage to testing to an examination by a physician and then if you are lucky, an interminable wait for discharge instructions. Sometimes it feels like longer than it is because if you were sure that you were well enough to wait until the doctor’s office opened, you would not have gone to the ER, where you get moved back to the end of the line every time someone who is sicker than you are arrives. In recent years, urgent care clinics have opened up to reduce wait times for people who need immediate treatment for illnesses and injuries that do not require hospitalization, but too often, the seriously injured must wait too long in the ER. Sometimes a delay in treatment can have severe consequences, as patients are in worse shape when doctors see them than they were when they arrived. If you suffered preventable complications because the ER made you wait too long and did not treat your situation with the appropriate urgency, contact a Santa Fe medical malpractice lawyer.
Plaintiff Alleges That Daughter’s Injury Would Have Been Treatable if Emergency Room Personnel Had Acted Quickly
When Meiah Tafoya was in seventh grade, she fell and injured her leg at school. The school nurse called Meiah’s mother, Stephanie Sedillo, who picked Meiah up and took her to the emergency room at the nearest hospital, Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque. When she arrived, Meiah told the triage nurse that she was worried that her leg was broken since she could not move it. The ER staff took an X-ray and confirmed that her leg was broken, but after that, ten hours went by before a doctor saw her, by which time her leg was cold to the touch, and she had no feeling in it.
The ER physician had Meiah transported to the University of New Mexico Hospital for emergency surgery. She did not go home from the hospital until three months and three surgeries later, including amputation of her leg.
Several months later, Meiah’s family filed a lawsuit against Presbyterian Hospital, claiming medical malpractice. In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs claim that the medical staff at Presbyterian Hospital should have known that a broken leg could mean loss of circulation, which could lead to disastrous consequences like the ones Meiah suffered. They claim that the original injury did not require amputation of Meiah’s leg and that this was only because of the ten-hour wait. They should have treated her promptly, and if they were not able to because of other patients with urgent medical needs, they should have sent her to another hospital promptly.
Contact Slate Stern About Medical Malpractice Lawsuits
Slate Stern is a personal injury lawyer who represents plaintiffs injured in incidents of medical malpractice. Contact Slate Stern in Santa Fe, New Mexico, or call (505)814-1517 to discuss your case.
Sources
https://scrubsmag.com/girl-has-leg-amputated-after-hospital-ignored-her-cries-for-10-hours
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