In recent news that our Washington D.C. Nursing Home Negligence Attorneys have been following, a nursing home resident filed a negligence lawsuit after the home allegedly failed to keep him safe from nursing home falls, and diagnose, treat and care for his injuries after a fall—which lead to infection, gangrene, and ultimately the amputation of his finger.
According to the suit, Juan Riostirado, a resident of Glenbridge Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Illinois, fell in his room and injured his hand on December 7, 2008. Although Riostirado was reported to have a high risk for such falls, there were no notes recording the fall or the personal injury in his paperwork until December 19, 2008.
The suit alleges that the only record of the injury was on December 19th, 2008, when a nurse wrote that Riostirado’s right ring finger was swollen, and that the finger should be monitored for five days. There were no more notes entered between December 19th and December 16th, 2008.
Riostirado was reportedly experiencing severe pain and swelling of his right ring finger on January 4, 2009, and according to the suit was diagnosed with gangrene of the finger the next day. Five days later, Riostirado was sent into surgery to have his finger amputated from complications due to gangrene.
The lawsuit claims that the nursing home is responsible for keeping its residents safe from nursing home falls, and should have treated and cared for Riostirado’s personal injury before it resulted in amputation. The suit is seeking over $50,000 in damages.
If you are worried that a friend or loved one staying at a nursing home in Maryland or the Washington D.C. area is suffering from nursing home falls due to negligence, contact our attorneys at Lebowitz and Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers for a free consultation. Call us at 1-800-654-1949.
Man Sues Nursing Home After Losing Finger, Niles Herald-Spectator, February 16, 2010
Related Web Resources:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: (CDC), Falls in Nursing Homes