You can never be prepared to hear the news that your parent has passed. If your parent died in the care of a nursing home, you may have some concerns about the cause of death and whether it was at all preventable. However, filing a lawsuit against a nursing home can be a massive uphill battle if you do not know the law. An Illinois personal injury lawyer can help you investigate your parent’s death to see if there is a case to be made for a wrongful death claim.
At Nursing Home Injury Center, we represent nursing home residents and their families in cases of abuse and neglect. We understand how powerful grief can be after the death of a loved one, and so we will take on the hard work of investigating your claim. Our nursing home injury lawyers can identify clear negligence by nursing home staff members, taking legal action to get justice and closure for you.
Falls
One bad fall in a nursing home can be deadly. When a resident falls at the wrong angle, he or she could suffer a severe head injury or damage to the spinal cord, which can result in a sharp, life-threatening decline in health.
The common denominator between many nursing home falls is a lack of safety precautions in place. For example, a resident’s care plan might include a provision for needing multiple people to safely lift. Due to mismanagement or short staffing, nursing home employees may attempt a lift solo, increasing the risk of a fall.
In other cases, a fall could be caused by hazards within the facility itself. Something as simple as a broken floor tile or stair railing could cause a fatal fall.
Medication Errors
As part of a resident’s care plan, there may be very specific instructions in place for administering medication. When these instructions are ignored or overlooked, there may be disastrous health consequences.
Certain medications can trigger allergic reactions in nursing home residents, possibly leading to anaphylactic shock or other serious reactions. In other cases, medication may not have been administered at all, leading to worsened health. At Nursing Home Injury Center, we can review your parent’s medical records to see if proper procedures were followed and take appropriate action against the nursing home.
Our attorneys have a proven history of success in wrongful death claims. In one case, we secured $500,000 for the family of a man who died in the care of a nursing home due to an error in administering medication.
Infection
Elderly populations are more susceptible to infection due to their weakened immune systems. As such, nursing homes need to take extra precautions to make sure that their residents are not exposed to harmful bacteria or pathogens.
Bedsores are a common source of infection in nursing homes. These are pressure ulcers caused by long periods of inactivity while lying prone in bed, and can be prevented by simply turning the resident over at regular intervals. Bedsores progress through various stages, and at its most advanced stage, a resident may be left in severe pain and vulnerable to a severe infection. Our nursing home lawyers can investigate the conditions at a nursing home, looking for evidence of negligence.
Malnutrition
Nursing homes have a responsibility to keep their residents in good health by providing them with a nutrient-rich diet. If this critical need is not met, the residents may begin to undergo a slow decline, lowering their immune systems, among other possibly fatal complications.
Dehydration in nursing homes has the potential to kill. The symptoms of dehydration may include loss of consciousness, a rapid heartbeat, and an increased risk of heat stroke. To prevent this, nursing homes need to make sure their residents are receiving a regular intake of fluids. Additionally, the residents should be monitored closely so that the early signs of dehydration can be caught and addressed quickly.
Our lawyers are prepared to hold nursing homes accountable for neglect, petitioning for full compensation on your behalf.
Choking
Choking in a nursing home can come with drastic health complications. Measures like the Heimlich maneuver can save a choking victim, but the force required to eject the foreign object from their throat can break bones and cause further health complications. In some cases, choking accidents are caused by failing to cut food into safe portions. Other choking deaths can be traced back to a lack of supervision during mealtime.
If your parent choked to death in a nursing home, Nursing Home Injury Center can help you pursue legal action against the facility. In one notable case, we secured a significant settlement in the hundreds of thousands of dollars for the family of a dementia patient who choked to death in an uninsured nursing facility.
Filing a Wrongful Death Claim
To get compensation for the loss of your parent, you will have to file a wrongful death claim against the party at fault – in this case, the nursing facility. We can walk you through this process, compiling evidence on your behalf before presenting your claim to the nursing home’s insurance company.
We can collect different types of evidence to prove that the nursing home was responsible for the death of your parent. Witness testimony from other residents or staff can indicate how the accident happened and the role the facility played in it. Our lawyers will also look for more tangible forms of evidence, such as your parent’s health records, photos of the facility, and any videos from the incident.
We understand how traumatic these cases can be. As such, our lawyers can speak on your behalf during negotiations for a fair, full settlement to make sure your rights are protected. Also, we are more than ready to take your claim to trial as part of our strategy of aggressive negotiation.
Meet With a Peoria County, IL Nursing Home Attorney
There is no amount of money that can make up for the loss of a dear relative, especially a parent. At Nursing Home Injury Center, we are ready to help you pursue justice against negligent nursing homes and fight for your right to compensation. To schedule a free consultation with our Peoria, IL nursing home wrongful death lawyers, call us at 309-524-6900 today.
