The family of a 12-year-old girl has filed a medical malpractice suit against Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque, charging she was forced to have her leg amputated after she had to wait in the emergency room for 10 hours before getting surgery.
KRQE.com reports Meiah Tafoya’s ordeal started Oct. 14, 2022, when Stephanie Sedillo said she received a call from her daughter’s school informing her that her daughter had fell and hurt her leg and had been rushed to the hospital.
“I was freaking out like a lot because I couldn’t really like move my leg, and I was scared that it was broken, which it was,” said Meiah Tafoya.
Despite repeatedly telling staffers that her daughter’s leg was getting cold, Sedillo said she only received triage and an X-ray on her left leg over a 10-hour period, after which she took a turn for the worse.
“The guy finally said that, he started panicking because he realized that her leg was cold, and she was screaming so crazy that, he’s like, ‘we gotta get her transported to University of New Mexico,'" she added.
Later, a pediatric surgeon at University of New Mexico Hospital determined that Meiah’s left leg would have to be amputated, and she was forced to undergo more than four surgeries and spend more than three months in the hospital.
“It’s been hell; it’s been hard," said Sedillo, adding that Meiah wouldn’t have had to amputate her leg had she been examined sooner. The suit further accuses Presbyterian of acting “unreasonably” and not giving “timely” treatment.
Representing the family, along with attorney Jason Bowles, Todd Bullion told reporters, “We’re gonna find out exactly why this happened, and, hopefully, prevent something like this from happening to anyone else ever again.”
To try to cover medical expenses, the family has set up a GoFundMe. Despite her struggles, Meiah said she is trying to focus on "the positives in her life," adding “It’s a little easy, a little hard. I’m going to get through it though."