There have been a number of suicides recently in New Mexico prisons and jails. Collins & Collins, P.C. is aware of these because we have gotten calls from 2 of the 3 families affected by the inmate suicides. It appears based upon local news coverage from KOB that there were 2 such recent suicides in a…
New Mexico Injury Attorney Blog
Transference Phenomena in the Doctor-Patient Relationship
Transference Common in Doctor Patient Relationship Transference phenomena is a common phenomenon that occurs between patients and doctors. In a nutshell, the patient projects emotions and feelings associated with past relationships upon the doctor. Doctors also carry the weight of their past relationships and experiences. This leads to counter-transference where the doctor may unconsciously suffer…
New Mexico’s Prison Population Increases as National Numbers Go Down
State of New Mexico not in Step with National Trends on Justice Reform Despite trends in the other direction, the wise Republican leadership in New Mexico has opted for higher prison population, continued over-criminalization, and continued worship at the feet of the corrections industry and its money. The Sentencing Commission for the State of New…
Sepsis Far Too Common in Medical and Other Confined Settings
Sepsis is an infection that gets into the bloodstream. It is a very serious condition and can quickly lead to permanent harm or death if not immediately detected and treated. Unfortunately, it often arises in settings where the medical providers themselves have failed to diagnose, treat or monitor the condition. Infection Begets Infection Sepsis develops…
Minor Infections Lead to Sepsis for Millions
250,000+ Deaths Each Year More than 250,000 Americans die every year from sepsis. Millions more are affected by sepsis, including the over 1.5 million victims and their loved ones. Sepsis has catastrophic consequences for all those that fall prey to these runaway infections. What is Sepsis? Sepsis is an infection in the bloodstream. In the…
Surgery Centers, Known Risks, Reckless Profiteering
Virtually every claim for surgical negligence is first met with the defense that the screw-ups were a known risk of surgery. This is indeed the reason for the very lengthy release of liability a patient is forced to sign, usually just prior to surgery. From this, the surgeon and hospital will yell “gotcha” it was…
Chemical Restraint of Child Refugees Separated from Parents
Chemical restraints are typically associated with nursing homes. As far as I know, the United States government has never used them on children, until now. A Los Angeles Times article has revealed that the United States government is allowing the use of chemical restraints on refugee children separated from their parents at the border. There…
Independent Surgery Centers – Low Cost, Higher Risk
Surgery centers have been around for a while. They began as low costs alternatives for low risk out-patient surgery. In recent years, the number of surgery centers has grown enormously. This sounds like good news but it has not been the case for many patients and families. Profits Over Safety As the number of surgery…
Personal Injury Liability Releases Strictly Limited in New Mexico
There are many times consumers are asked to sign a release of liability before using a product or service. These releases of liability are then thrown back at the consumer when the consumer is injured because of the negligence of the business, its employees or other agents. Often the releases provide for a release of…
Wrongful Termination by way of Illegal Constructive Discharge
Wrongful discharge or wrongful termination is an employee’s claim that his former employer fired him or here for discriminatory purposes or otherwise in violation of public policy, or some Federal or State law. Many times, the employee is constructively rather than directly discharged. In short, the employer makes the employee’s work life so miserable that…