Farmington Hospital Malpractice Attorney

What is Hospital Malpractice?

Hospital malpractice occurs when a hospital or its staff provides substandard medical care that directly results in patient injury or death. Unlike simple medical mistakes, malpractice involves negligence—meaning the care provided fell below the accepted standard that a reasonably competent medical provider would have delivered under similar circumstances.

Hospital malpractice claims may involve:

• Doctors and surgeons
• Nurses and nursing staff
• Emergency room personnel
• Pharmacists
• Technicians and support staff
• Hospital administrators or policies

In New Mexico, hospitals may be held legally responsible not only for the actions of their employees but also for systemic failures such as understaffing, inadequate training, or unsafe policies. Our Farmington hospital malpractice lawyer can evaluate whether malpractice occurred and identify all responsible parties.

Common Examples of Hospital Negligence

Hospital negligence can take many forms, often with serious or permanent consequences for patients. Some of the most common examples include:

• Surgical Errors: Mistakes during surgery—such as operating on the wrong body part, leaving surgical instruments inside a patient, or causing unnecessary internal damage—can result in infections, organ failure, or long-term disability.
• Misdiagnosis or Delayed Diagnosis: Failure to correctly diagnose a medical condition or delays in diagnosis can prevent patients from receiving timely treatment, allowing conditions such as cancer, infections, or internal injuries to worsen.
• Medication Errors: Medication mistakes include prescribing the wrong drug, administering incorrect dosages, or failing to check for dangerous drug interactions. These errors can lead to severe reactions, organ damage, or even death.
• Birth Injuries: Negligence during pregnancy, labor, or delivery can cause serious birth injuries such as cerebral palsy, brain damage, or nerve injuries. Hospitals may be liable for improper fetal monitoring, delayed C-sections, or misuse of delivery tools.
• Infections and Poor Sanitation: Hospitals must maintain strict hygiene standards. Failure to prevent infections, sterilize equipment, or follow safety protocols can expose patients to dangerous and avoidable illnesses.
• Failure to Monitor Patients: Patients recovering from surgery or serious illness require close monitoring. Ignoring changes in vital signs, alarms, or patient complaints can result in severe complications or wrongful death.

If you believe hospital negligence caused your injury, our Farmington hospital injury lawyer at Harvey, Foote & Baker Law Firm can review your medical records and determine whether malpractice occurred.

Determining Liability

Determining liability in a hospital malpractice case is often complex. Multiple parties may share responsibility, and hospitals frequently attempt to deny or shift blame. An experienced attorney is essential to uncovering the truth.

Who May Be Liable?

• The hospital itself
• Doctors or surgeons
• Nurses or medical staff
• Third-party contractors
• Medical groups or administrators

Hospitals in New Mexico may be held liable under theories such as:

• Vicarious liability for employee negligence
• Direct liability for poor hiring, training, or supervision
• Institutional negligence due to unsafe policies or understaffing

Your Farmington hospital injury lawyer will work with medical experts to establish:

1. A duty of care existed
2. That duty was breached
3. The breach caused your injury
4. You suffered measurable damages

Compensation Available in Hospital Malpractice Cases

Victims of hospital malpractice in Farmington, NM may be entitled to compensation for both economic and non-economic damages, including:

• Medical bills (past and future)
• Rehabilitation and therapy costs
• Lost wages and reduced earning capacity
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Wrongful death damages for surviving family members

New Mexico medical malpractice laws may place certain limits on damages depending on the circumstances of the case. Our Farmington hospital injury attorney can explain how these laws apply and fight for maximum compensation on your behalf.

Hospital Malpractice FAQs

How long do I have to file a hospital malpractice claim in New Mexico?

New Mexico law generally imposes strict deadlines for filing medical malpractice claims. Missing these deadlines can permanently bar your case, so it is critical to contact a Farmington hospital injury lawyer as soon as possible.

Do I need medical records to file a claim?

While you do not need all records upfront, medical documentation is essential to proving malpractice. Your attorney can help obtain and review these records.

Can I sue a hospital for a doctor’s mistake?

In many cases, yes. Hospitals may be responsible for the actions of their employees or for systemic failures that contributed to the injury.

What if the hospital denies wrongdoing?

Hospitals often deny fault. An experienced lawyer will gather expert testimony and evidence to challenge these defenses.

How much does it cost to hire a hospital injury lawyer?

Most hospital malpractice cases are handled on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay nothing unless compensation is recovered

Why Families Turn To Our Firm

Families who suspect hospital negligence often feel overwhelmed, angry, and unsure where to turn. Hospitals and insurance companies have lawyers on their side, and it can feel impossible to get a clear explanation. Our firm has built its practice on standing up to large medical and nursing facilities throughout New Mexico.

At Harvey, Foote & Baker Law Firm, our work centers on abuse and negligence in nursing homes and related medical settings. That focus means we regularly deal with the same types of systems, staffing issues, and safety problems that can also appear in hospital malpractice cases. We have obtained multimillion-dollar recoveries in serious facility negligence matters, helping families pay for long-term care, replace lost income, and move forward after devastating injuries.

Our cases have also led to important changes in facility procedures, such as improved monitoring practices and safer policies for vulnerable patients. For many clients, knowing that a case helped encourage better safety for others is as important as the financial outcome. We keep that goal of accountability at the center of what we do.

Attorney Dusti Harvey’s background gives our clients a distinctive advantage. Before founding the firm, she served as in-house corporate counsel and a mediator for a national nursing home chain. She saw firsthand how large healthcare companies evaluate claims, defend lawsuits, and try to limit their responsibility. We now use that insight when we investigate hospital care, review records, and prepare cases.

We also understand that families in Farmington and across New Mexico want resolution, not endless court battles. Our attorneys work to resolve cases efficiently when that can be done fairly, and we are always prepared to pursue a case in court if negotiation does not lead to a just result. Throughout the process, we stay focused on what your family needs, both emotionally and financially.

Contact us today to get started on your claim.