Family of 12-year-old girl files lawsuit against Albuquerque hospital for alleged medical malpractice

Source: , Posted On:   17 January 2023

In a recent incident in Albuquerque, New Mexico, 12-year-old Meiah Tafoya was rushed to Presbyterian Hospital after an accident at school left her with a broken leg. However, her family claims that she was made to wait for 10 hours before receiving any further treatment. As a result, the family is now filing a lawsuit against the hospital, alleging medical malpractice and claiming that Meiah should have been seen sooner.

The incident occurred on October 14th, 2022, when Meiah fell and injured her leg at school. Her mother, Stephanie Sedillo, received a call from the school informing her of the accident and rescue being on the way. Sedillo rushed to the school, but upon arriving at the hospital, her daughter was made to wait for 10 hours before receiving any further treatment. Sedillo claims that she repeatedly told medical staff that Meiah’s leg was getting cold, but she was told to wait.

 

Finally, Meiah was seen by a pediatric surgeon at the University of New Mexico Hospital, who determined that her left leg would have to be amputated. Meiah underwent more than four surgeries and spent over three months in the hospital. Sedillo believes that her daughter would not have had to have her leg amputated if she had been seen sooner at Presbyterian Hospital.

The family is now suing the hospital, alleging medical malpractice and claiming that the hospital acted “unreasonably” and did not give “timely” treatment. The family’s attorney, Todd Bullion, stated that they hope to find out why this happened and prevent something similar from happening to anyone else in the future.

When reached for comment, Presbyterian Hospital stated that they do not have enough information about the allegations and that “all allegations of the complaint” are “not expressly admitted or denied.” The family has set up a GoFundMe to help pay for the medical expenses. Despite the incident, Meiah remains optimistic and tries to focus on the positives in her life.