While incarceration leads to a loss of certain privileges, prisoners still have basic human rights. This includes the right to decent living conditions. And it includes the right to receive proper medical treatment.
Alleging neglect of his medical concerns during his incarceration, one former New Mexico inmate is suing the state, Centurion Correctional Healthcare of New Mexico LLC and the New Mexico Corrections Department.
What the lawsuit entails
Information suggests that a 52-year-old inmate reported his health concerns during his incarceration. Along with reports of pain shooting from his back down through both of his legs, he also reported having chills, trouble urinating and nausea.
Centurion staff treated the inmate for a urinary tract infection shortly before his release. However, within weeks of the onset of his pain, he spent more than a month in the hospital. The inmate now alleges Centurion overlooked these serious symptoms.
The lawsuit includes allegations of:
- Negligence
- Medical malpractice
- Breach of contract
- Emotional distress
- Improper training of medical staff
- Civil conspiracy
Since Centurion began operating in New Mexico in 2016, they have faced roughly two dozen lawsuits. In this instance, the former inmate was left with lasting damage to his spine. A timely diagnosis could have kept him out of the hospital after his release. Centurion also allegedly overlooked the man’s other medical conditions, which increased his vulnerability to infection.
A delay in properly treating a medical condition can lead to the exasperation of symptoms, and even death. Lawyers who understand medical malpractice cases can hold medical providers accountable for negligence.
