Maryland Nursing Home Lawyer Blog
Towards the end of August, authorities filed suit against a Texas nursing home, claiming that the nursing home’s gross negligence caused the deaths of seven residents. According to a report by one local news source, attorneys for the families showed reporters some pictures of the deceased, one woman with maggots in her ear as a result of a massive infection she sustained at the nursing home.
Evidently, there are several other anecdotal stories that the plaintiffs have, including a bed sore on one man’s back so deep that his bone can be seen in the photograph. Other residents claim that they had been “soaked” in feces and urine for hours on end.
The nursing home’s record is not stellar, either. According to the report, they received four violations for “Level 4 Deficiencies,” meaning that a home resident’s wellbeing was put in immediate jeopardy. The home also has two wrongful death suits against it pending on appeal.
Wrongful Death Suits and Nursing Home Neglect and Abuse
It is terrible to think about, but to ignore it is to put your head in the sand. Each year, hundreds of nursing home patients perish too early because they receive inadequate care from those who are charged with providing for their medical and daily needs.
By accepting residents, nursing homes also take on a duty to provide a certain level of care. When the level of care they provide falls short, residents often get injured or worse. In such cases, the families of the injured or deceased individuals are able to hold the nursing home and its employees responsible through what is called a wrongful death action.
A wrongful death action is a claim against another person or entity claiming that the other person or entity caused the death of a loved one while acting negligently or intentionally. Wrongful death suits must generally be brought by immediate family members, such as parents, children, or spouses. However, Maryland law allows for some other relations to bring suit in specific cases.
In order to succeed in a Maryland wrongful death action, a plaintiff must prove that the defendant’s negligent actions were what caused the death of their loved one. In that sense, a wrongful death case looks a lot like a traditional negligence case. Negligence can be proven in any number of ways. In nursing home cases, proving negligence may involve having employees and other patients testify to the level of care that was being provided in the nursing home.
Is Your Loved One in Danger?
If you have a loved one in a nursing home and you believe that he or she is suffering from negligence or abuse, you should remove your relative from that setting immediately. Once you have done so, consider speaking to a dedicated nursing home abuse and neglect attorney to see if there is anything you can do to hold those responsible accountable. Call 410-654-3600 today to schedule a free initial consultation with a dedicated personal injury attorney.
See More Blog Posts:
New York Nursing Home Questioned After Another Patient Death, Maryland Nursing Home Lawyer Blog, published August 18, 2014.
Staffing Shortage May Have Been Responsible for Boy’s Death at Maryland Group Home, Maryland Nursing Home Lawyer Blog, published July 28, 2014.