Nursing Home Neglect

The decision to have an elderly or sick family member go into a care facility is never easy.  When we put our family members in the care of a nursing home or rehabilitation center, we do it because we feel as though it is best for our family member.  That is why it is so shocking to hear about cases in which patients in these centers are neglected to the point where their preexisting conditions are accelerated or suffer from wholly new accidents.  This is especially true when these situations could have been prepared for and easily avoided.

For example, a woman in Florida was admitted into a rehabilitation center.  Even though the center was aware that the woman was at risk of slipping and falling, the woman was allowed to suffer a severe injury from falling down.  The problems after her fall were only exacerbated by bedsores, overmedication, malnourishment, and dehydration.  Due to these conditions, the woman died.

How can something like this happen in a facility that is designed to care for people?  How could such negligence go on in a place filled with trained professionals?  These are some of the questions that the woman’s family wanted answers to when they filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the rehabilitation center.  After a jury trial, the woman’s family was awarded $14 million in damages and another $100 million in punitive damages.  

The woman’s family said that they hope this will help prevent it from happening to someone else.  When a family member suffers from negligent care in a medical facility such as a rehabilitation center, the family is entitled to compensation and the center should be held accountable.

To learn more about how these cases work, I encourage you to explore my website http://www.oginski-law.com. If you have legal questions, and I urge you to pick up the phone and call me at 516-487-8207 or by e-mail at lawmed10@yahoo.com. I welcome your call.