Millions of Americans live in nursing homes and assisted living facilities, and the families of all those people must trust the employees to care for their parents or grandparents. There are nearly 1,000 nursing homes in Ohio alone, making it difficult for government agencies to effectively oversee how those organizations care for their residents.
In too many cases, nursing home neglect leads to a resident’s death.
If your loved one has suffered nursing home neglect resulting in death, you need an experienced Columbus attorney. At The Fitch Law Firm, our team is ready to help you understand your legal options through a FREE consultation.
Call today to schedule a meeting with nursing home wrongful death lawyer in Columbus, OH. You can also reach us through the form on our online contact page. You and your family deserve justice.
Nursing Home Neglect
It is estimated that more than 2.1 million senior citizens are the victim of neglect each year in the United States. But, experts say it is difficult to estimate the actual number of elderly neglect cases.
Nursing home neglect is often the result of understaffing, budget cutbacks, and other issues faced by nursing home administrators. But, that is no excuse for the harm that comes to our elderly population. Common signs of nursing home neglect include:
- Slips, trips, and falls
- Bedsores
- Poor hygiene or odors
- Strange behaviors from loved ones
- Infections
- Unexplained or unexpected weight loss
It can be devastating to learn or suspect that your loved one is being neglected in a facility that is supposed to be focused on their needs.
How You Prove Liability of Nursing Facilities
Proving the liability of an at-fault party can be difficult in a variety of cases, especially when it comes to nursing home facilities and neglect. Depending on the circumstances of your loved one’s passing, different people or groups may be held responsible, including:
- Nursing home staff
- Administrators
- Third parties, such as drug manufacturers
- Nursing home owners
Examples of factors that might cause these entities to be responsible or liable for your loved one’s neglect and subsequent death include a failure to train staff properly, a failure to hire sufficient staff for residents, etc.
Proving these matters can be difficult, but a nursing home neglect attorney from The Fitch Law Firm can help you collect evidence. That can mean getting hiring logs from the nursing home facility, testimony from staff and other residents, doctors’ reports, etc.
For a free legal consultation with a Columbus nursing home neglect cases resulting in death lawyer
(614) 545-3930
Nursing Home Neglect Wrongful Death Cases
If a nursing home’s neglect leads to the death of a resident, that nursing home can be liable for a wrongful death claim. Wrongful death claims are a form of personal injury lawsuit that is filed when the injuries to a loved one result in their death. The family can seek compensation and hold the at-fault parties legally responsible for their actions and (in the case of neglect) inaction.
Since elder law and nursing home neglect cases can be difficult to navigate, we recommend getting in touch with a member of The Fitch Law Firm. Our attorneys can help you file your claim and get the compensation you and your family deserve. Please note, however, our representation is limited to death claims.
Recoverable Damages
Unlike personal injury claims, the compensation in a wrongful death case due to nursing home negligence goes to the victim’s family. Unfortunately, this means you may be limited in the types of damages for which you can recover compensation. Typical recoverable damages include:
- Loss of familial support
- Loss of consortium with a spouse
- Medical bills accrued due to the injury before your loved one passed
- Funeral and burial expenses
- Punitive damages (in rare cases of especially egregious negligence)
The Last Thing You Should Worry About Is How You’re Going To Pay For Your Medical Bills.
(614) 545-3930
What to Do if You Suspect Nursing Home Neglect Caused a Loved One’s Death
If you believe that nursing home neglect directly led to your loved one’s death, there are several steps you should take.
Gathering Evidence After Your Loved One’s Death
First, gather information about the situation. This can include medical records, your own testimony, and statements from other nursing home residents. Any evidence or data you collect can help in the reporting process and can help an attorney launch an investigation.
Reporting Neglect in a Nursing Home
The nursing home itself is required to post information about programs you can contact to report abuse or neglect. These include:
- The state licensure office
- The local Long-term Care Ombudsman Office
- The state Protection and Advocacy network
Contact these organizations to let them know about the issue. Not only can this lead to an investigation that could strengthen your claim, but it can also help expose other incidents of neglect and potentially save other residents from injury or worse.
Reaching Out to an Elder Abuse Lawyer for Help
When you get in touch with a member of the Fitch Law Firm, our skilled nursing home neglect attorneys can help you build a case. We can gather evidence that might be unavailable to you, such as video footage, testimony from expert witnesses, and more.
We also work to limit your exposure to further trauma. Our attorneys can handle the interviews, depositions, legal paperwork, and other elements of a wrongful death claim so that you and your family can focus on healing during this difficult time.
With help from experienced legal representation, your family can seek justice for your loved one and reimbursement for the pain that you and your loved one suffered.
Get a FREE Consultation on Nursing Home Neglect Wrongful Death Claims
Seeing a loved one suffering as a victim of nursing home neglect is a heartbreaking experience for any family. At the Fitch Law Firm, we understand how emotionally difficult it is for family members to discover that the professionals they trusted to care for their loved ones have breached that trust in some way.
If you believe your loved one has suffered some form of neglect at the hands of nursing home employees, resulting in death, you need to contact an experienced nursing home abuse attorney.
The dedicated legal professionals of the Fitch Law Firm can assist in getting you and your family the compensation you deserve. In fact, we limit our nursing home negligence practice to assisting families whose loved ones have died.
To speak with experienced members of our team for FREE, call today at (614) 545-3930 or fill out the form on our contact page.
Together, we can seek compensation and justice on behalf of your loved one.