Drunk nurse sued for child's death

AN ALBUQUERQUE NURSE ADMITS SHE HAD BEEN DRINKING BEFORE TREATING A LITTLE GIRL AT LOVELACE H...  More »

AN ALBUQUERQUE NURSE ADMITS SHE HAD BEEN DRINKING BEFORE TREATING A LITTLE GIRL AT LOVELACE HOSPITAL -- A LITTLE GIRL WHO DIED A SHORT TIME LATER, NOW THE GIRL'S MOTHER IS IN COURT LOOKING FOR JUSTICE FROM THE NURSE.... AND THE HOSPITAL... JEFF MAHER WAS IN THE COURTROOM TODAY. HE'S LIVE DOWNTOWN. ATTORNEYS REPRESENTING CHRISTINE URIOSTE TOLD THE JURY HER DAUGHTER WOULD LIKELY STILL BE ALIVE TODAY HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR THE IRRESPONSIBLE ACTIONS OF FORMER LOVELACE NURSE ANN WEST BARNES. BUT THE DEFENSE SAYS IT WAS THE MOTHER'S MISTAKES THAT MAY HAVE COST THE GIRL HER LIFE. 'my daughter, she's only five and she's not breathing and I don't know what to do, I'm driving as fast as I can'IN THE COURTROOM, CHRISTINE URIOSTE BREAKS DOWN IN TEARS AS SHE LISTENS TO THE 911 CALL SHE MADE AS SHE WAS DRIVING HER DAUGHTER, 5- YEAR-OLD CRYSTAL BARELA TO U-N-M HOSPITAL FROM A LOVELACE URGENT CARE CENTER. BUT BARELA DIED BEFORE GETTING THERE. IT HAPPENED IN OCTOBER, 2004. LOVELACE NURSE ANN WEST BARNES TREATED BARELA - POLICE FOUND SHE WAS DRUNK AT THE TIME - BARNES WAS FIRED THAT DAY. 'it became readily apparent that ms. barnes had a serious drinking problem' URIOSTE'S ATTORNEYS SAY BECAUSE BARNES WAS DRUNK - SHE COULDN'T DO HER JOB PROPERLY - THEY CLAIM SHE WAS STUMBLING AROUND, HAD TROUBLE INSERTING THE I-V, AND MISHANDLED THE OXYGEN MASK. THEY ALSO SAY HOSPITAL OFFICIALS NEVER TOLD URIOSTE HOW SERIOUS HER DAUGHTERS CONDITION WAS. 'her heart is now struggling, her system is going into shock and the nurse knows that'ATTORNEYS FOR BARNES AND LOVELACE ARGUED THAT THE MOTHER DEMANDED THE I-V TO BE REMOVED AND INSISTED ON DRIVING HER DAUGHTER TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM. THEY SAY BARNES WAS WRONG FOR COMING TO WORK DRUNK - BUT SAY SHE HAD NO TROUBLE PERFORMING HER JOB TASKS - AND CLAIM NOTHING COULD HAVE BEEN DONE FOR THE YOUNG GIRL. 'the truth is, at 545pm on the 29th Cyrstal Barela could not have been saved at the pediatric urgent care center' A LOVELACE DOCTOR WHO IS ALSO NAMED IN THE WRONGFUL DEATH LAWSUIT SETTLED OUT OF COURT. LIVE AT DISTRICT COURT. JEFF MAHER. EYEWITNESS NEWS FOUR.  « Less