Earlier this month, a local Connecticut newspaper published a long list of local nursing homes that had been cited by the state’s department of health for failures in nursing homes. One of those failures resulted in the preventable death of a resident.
According to the report, back in November of last year, one local nursing home in Connecticut was fined $1,020 for a failure in care that led to a resident’s death. One of the residents at Bridgeport Manor died last October of a cardiac arrest after an oversight of the nursing home staff sent her to the hospital.
Apparently, the woman was admitted to the nursing home with throat cancer and had a tracheostomy tube. One night, nursing home staff found the woman on the floor with the tube dislodged. However, the nursing staff failed to call for help immediately and waited 20 minutes to do so.
Upon discovering the woman, nurses attempted to put the tube back in place. However, they were unsuccessful in doing so and eventually called a doctor after 30 minutes of trying. The doctor told the nurses to call 911, and the woman was admitted to the hospital. Unfortunately, it was too late, and she died of a cardiac arrest while at the hospital.
Nursing Home Errors and Lapses in Judgment
Unfortunately, there is no knowing what would have happened to the elderly woman in the story above had she been provided adequate care. However, one thing is clear from the facts. The nurses failed to immediately call a doctor after the woman was found unconscious on the floor with her tracheostomy tube out of place.
This kind of negligence on the part of nursing home staff is inexcusable, but at the same time it is not all that unusual. We see hundreds of cases each year where nursing home staff is either abusive towards residents or negligent of their needs.
Thankfully, the law allows for financial recovery in certain situations involving serious injuries. In fact, in many of these cases we handle each year, the families of the nursing home residents are able to obtain financial recovery for the nursing home’s violations either through an out of court settlement or through a jury verdict. To learn more about nursing home negligence, contact an experienced Maryland personal injury attorney.
Has Your Loved One Been Neglected at a Maryland Nursing Home?
If you have a loved one at a Maryland nursing home, and you are fearful that the care he or she is being provided is not adequate, you may have a case of negligence against the nursing home. A successful nursing home negligence plaintiff will be able to prove that the nursing home’ negligence was the cause of an injury suffered by the plaintiff or by a loved one. Most often, this is proven through eyewitness testimony, video evidence, or first hand from the victims themselves. Call 410-654-3600 to set up a free initial consultation with an attorney today to review your case.
See More Blog Posts:
Nursing Home Video Catches Employees Abusing Elderly Patients, Maryland Nursing Home Lawyer Blog, published December 5, 2014.
Alabama Nursing Home Employee Indicted for Abusing 96-Year-Old Resident, Maryland Nursing Home Lawyer Blog, published January 23, 2014.