Nursing home fined $100,000 in head injury case
August 9th, 2010

The Los Angeles Times reports that a northern California nursing home was fined when a resident suffered a fatal head injury after falling twice.  The 85-year-old resident of Pilgrim Haven Health in Los Altos, California had diabetes and a heart condition and his doctor had deemed him a falls risk and ordered that he use a walker and be placed under close supervision whenever he was walking.  The state investigator's August 3rd report details that he was found in the living room of the facility last October after falling and cutting his head.  According to the report, the facility had failed to install a falls alarm.  The resident fell again in December and hit his head.  Later that evening, he turned pale and began vomiting, and was sent to the hospital.  However, when he arrived it was too late.  The fall had caused fatal bleeding in his brain.

It is the responsibility of a nursing home to install proper falls-prevention devices and to seek medical attention immediately when a resident falls and hits his or her head.  If you believe that a loved one has suffered a falls-related injury because a nursing home failed to do its job, take action and contact the Kosieradzki Smith Law Firm online or call us toll-free at (877) 552-2873 to set up a FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION.  

Nursing Home Resident Dies from Neck Fracture

July 27, 2010

The Quad City Times reported on July 27, 2010 that the family of a deceased resident has filed a lawsuit against the Good Samaritan Society nursing home of Davenport, Iowa.  The resident was 89 years old when she died, reportedly from a neck fracture she had sustained when she fell in her room months earlier.  She was placed in a halo cast and returned to the nursing home, where the screw insertion points eventually required aggressive wound care and debridement.  The lawsuit alleges that the Good Samaritan Society did not implement the proper safeguards or staff training programs to prevent falls.  

It is the responsibility of nursing homes to use proper safety precautions to prevent falls and to protect their residents from fall injuries. If you believe that a loved one has been seriously injured because a nursing home failed to do its job, take action and contact the Kosieradzki Smith Law Firm online or call us toll-free at (877) 552-2873 to set up a FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION.

$29 Million Verdict Upheld in Nursing Home Neglect Case

July 15, 2010

The Sacramento Bee reported on July 14, 2010 that $29 million verdict against a nursing home was upheld.  The trial judge upheld the verdict from a case regarding the death of 79-year-old female nursing home resident.  The resident suffered a fall at the nursing home and broke her hip.  The nursing home let the fracture go undiagnosed for days and the resident finally died from an infected bedsore.  The owner of the nursing home also owned 32 other facilities in the state. The lawsuit revealed that nursing home owner chronically understaffed its facilities and that the staff at this particular nursing home appeared "overworked, untrained or is or is or you will is a you as is as he is as he is or is or is as he will that he is in you and where costs as he is or is or is as he is in you are a you as you as you as is in you as he is as he is or you and uncaring." The court awarded $800,000 in compensatory damages, plus an additional $28 million in punitive damages.  The nursing home corporation disputed the verdict, but the trial judge said in no uncertain terms, "This was an overwhelming case. It does not deserve to be retried. That would be a travesty."

When a nursing home is understaffed, all of the residents suffer.  Pressure sores and fall injuries can be prevented when nursing homes are properly staffed. But putting staff on the floor costs money and many nursing homes decide to place their priority on the bottom line rather than on proper resident care.  If you believe that a loved one has suffered a traumatic fall or pressure sores because a nursing home failed to do its job, take action and contact the Kosieradzki Smith Law Firm online or call us toll free at (877) 552-2873 to set up a FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION.

Improper Use of Mechanical Lift by Nursing Home staff Injures Resident

July 14, 2010

The Champaign News-Gazette reported on July 13, 2010 about another case of nursing home neglect.  According to the article, in recent years, the Champaign County Nursing Home has been repeatedly under investigation for providing deficient and neglectful care.  This most recent incident reportedly involved an instance of one of the most common dangers in a nursing home: a fall caused by the inappropriate use of a mechanical lift by the nursing home staff.  The article reports that a nursing home aide s dropped the resident from the lift while attempting to transfer the resident without assistance.  The resident's care plan clearly dictated that all transfers with the lift were to be made with two assistants.  There was even a sign on her door to remind the staff.  The resident was badly cut by the fall and had to receive 24 stitches.
Over the past year, the Champaign County Nursing Home has faced over $100,000 in fines and loss of payment due to their consistently low standard of care.  These losses were later reduced to about $14,000 in losses of federal payments, but if the public health inspectors find this most recent incident grave enough, the nursing home could incur significant fines and losses of payment all over again.

The Kosieradzki Smith Law Firm is experienced with cases involving traumatic falls, including improper use of mechanical lifts and failure to following resident care plans.  If you believe that a loved one has suffered a fall because a nursing home failed to do its job, take action now and contact us online or call us toll free at (877) 552-2873 to set up a FREE CONSULTATION. 

 Nursing Home’s Neglect Results in Leg Amputation and Jury Award
July 3, 2010

WYMT TV News reported on July 2, 2010 that a jury has ordered the Hillcrest Nursing Home to pay $7.5 million to a female resident who had to have her leg amputated.  The resident had been staying at the nursing home to recuperate from a knee replacement surgery.  When the resident called for a nurse to assist her in using the bedside toilet, the nurse said she was busy and told the resident to do it herself.  The nurse lowered resident’s bedrail, placed the call button out of her reach and left the room.  The resident attempted to use the toilet, but fell and ruptured her knee in the process.  By the time she was found by another nurse, the wound had already become infected by urination where she had fallen.  The resident spent two months in the hospital and had to undergo several surgeries before having her leg amputated. 

If you believe that a loved one has been neglected or suffered a traumatic fall resulting in serious injury because a nursing home failed to do its job, take action now and contact the Kosieradzki Smith Law firm online or call us toll free at (877) 552-2873 for a FREE CONSULTATION.