12-year-old is now an amputee after a 10-hour wait in the ER, New Mexico lawsuit says
A 12-year-old girl had her leg amputated after she waited 10 hours in an emergency room for her fracture to be treated, according to a lawsuit filed against a New Mexico hospital.
Meiah Tafoya fell while rushing to class at her middle school on Oct. 14, 2022, according to the complaint and a GoFundMe page organized by her mother.
She went to the emergency room at Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque where she waited for 10 hours before staff told her that she could not be adequately treated there and would need to transfer to a different hospital, according to the complaint, which names Presbyterian Healthcare Services, the company that owns the hospital, as a defendant.
She was then taken to the University of New Mexico Hospital, where she underwent four surgeries, including having her injured leg amputated, according to the lawsuit.
“Had (she) been promptly treated at Presbyterian her leg would not have needed to be amputated,” the lawsuit says. “One or more of the surgeries she has undergone would also not have been necessary.”
A spokesperson for Presbyterian Healthcare Services said in a statement that the hospital had recently been served with the complaint.
“ … we will reserve comment on pending litigation for the appropriate venue,” the statement says.
The hospital wait
When Tafoya went to the hospital on Oct. 14, 2022, she was given an initial assessment, including a leg X-ray, when she arrived, the complaint says.
She was then told to wait, even though she was crying and “visibly in pain,” the complaint says.
Her mother asked staff multiple times when her daughter would be seen, and they replied each time that they were busy seeing patients in more serious condition, according to the lawsuit.
At some point during the 10-hour wait, the Tafoya’s leg started to go cold. Her mother told an emergency room staff person, who said that they were still waiting on the results of her daughter’s X-ray, the complaint says.
“... ER staff either did not read the X-ray or read the X-ray and did not promptly act upon the report,” the complaint says.
At no point during the wait did a doctor or nurse immobilize her leg, the lawsuit says. This contributed to “internal blood loss and circulation issues,” according to the complaint.
A life changed
Tafoya is now in a wheelchair and has not returned to school, Todd J. Bullion, a lawyer representing her and her mother, told McClatchy News.
“She is inspiring with her optimism and her bravery,” he said. “It’s truly an inspiration talking with her and seeing her approach her therapy and everything, taking her best shot at living a happy and normal life.”
But the 12-year-old, who played trombone in the school band and enjoyed many activities, is now limited in what she can do and will eventually need to get a prosthetic leg.
Her mother, Stephanie Sedillo, who is a single mom of four, has had to take a leave of absence from her job so that she can take care of her daughter full-time, according to a GoFundMe page.
Bullion said the family is seeking damages to help cover the cost of Tafoya’s medical expenses, as well as punitive damages. The family also hopes to prevent another incident like this from happening again.
“You’ve got to push and advocate for yourself, but that’s exactly what Meiah’s mom did here,” he said. “She told the staff what was going on, what was wrong and it was just ignored. Our hope with this case is that we’re going to drive change here in New Mexico and make sure that this doesn’t happen to anyone here again.”
23-year-old dies in ambulance area after hospital ignores him for 7 hours, lawsuit says
Doctor performs needless eye surgery that blinds patient, feds say. She will pay $1.8M
Veteran who lost leg in motorcycle crash with Navy van to be paid millions, lawyers say
