Nursing homes are entrusted with our relatives who can no longer care for themselves, often at great personal expense. Unfortunately, this trust is too frequently misplaced and violated. This is because the elderly inhabitants of a nursing home may become targets of abuse, neglect, or theft; such misconduct occurs far too frequently. When a resident is injured because of a nursing home’s negligence or the actions of their employees, the nursing home and officials can be held accountable for the injuries and expenses they cause. Our Boston nursing home abuse attorneys have decades of experience achieving superlative results for our clients. If you believe a loved one is the victim of nursing home abuse, our firm will make sure that you receive the money damages that you justly deserve.
Recently, a nursing home had to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages after one of their patients was injured due to negligence. The patient, who has asked to remain nameless, was an elderly man who was considered a “total care patient.” A total care patient is a resident in a long-term care facility who needs actual assistance in meeting all of his her needs in activities of daily living, and generally cannot move or act on their own. It was stipulated that the patient required the assistance of two caregivers at a time whenever he had to be repositioned in his bed.
One day, however, the nursing home, which has also elected to remain anonymous, only scheduled one employee to reposition the patient in his bed. While he was being moved, the patient slipped and fell out of the bed and struck his face on a nearby table, severely damaging his left eye. The resident was transported to a nearby hospital for a ruptured posterior globe. Emergency surgery allowed the resident to keep his left eye, but he lost all vision in that eye. This resulted in further vision complications, as his right eye had difficultly compensating for the lack of vision. As a result, the injured resident became depressed because he was no longer able to read easily or watch the Red Sox, something he had enjoyed for decades. Because their staffing error was a factor in the man’s injuries, his family filed a personal injury lawsuit against the nursing home. According to lawyersweekly.com, the nursing home settled the lawsuit for $350,000 for their involvement in the fall.
If you or a family member have been a victim of nursing home abuse, you may be entitled to substantial compensation for your physical injuries, as well as any emotional trauma and financial hardship caused by the accident. It is crucial that you know your rights and legal options. Call us 24/7 at 617-787-3700, or email us at info@gilhoylaw.com for your free and private consultation. Your needs are our top priority!
