$13 Million in Damages Awarded to Family Over Nursing Home Neglect, Wrongful Death
An 87-year-old woman died from a massive bedsore after spending three months at a NJ nursing home rehab facility recovering from a shoulder injury.
A New Jersey jury has awarded $13.2 million in damages to the family of an elderly woman who died from her bed sores, which were allegedly caused by nursing home neglect at a New Jersey rehab facility. The wrongful death lawsuit was filed by the family of Mary Dwyer, who died in February 2010, after residing at Alaris Health’s Harbor View Healthcare Center in New Jersey for just three months, while she recovered from a dislocated shoulder. During her stay at the allegedly negligent rehab facility, Dwyer suffered from a host of new health problems, her family claims, which eventually led to her death. If you or a loved one has been the victim of nursing home neglect or abuse, contact a reputable nursing home abuse attorney today to discuss your legal options.
Health Risks of Nursing Home Neglect
According to allegations raised in the wrongful death suit, 87-year-older Dwyer suffered a series of complications during her three-month stay at the Harbor View Healthcare Center, including serious bedsores, a loss of 20 pounds, nine wound debridements, two bone shavings, and a colostomy that required the manual reinsertion of her bowels back into her abdomen. Dwyer’s family claims in the wrongful death complaint that the elderly woman’s medical conditions and associated treatments could have been avoided if the nursing home rehab facility had provided her with a proper standard of medical care. Instead, she died a painful death.
Life-Threatening Complications of Bedsores
In the complaint, Dwyer’s family claims that her massive bedsore was the result of the 87-year-old woman being turned only ten times during the 282 shifts that occurred during her stay at the facility. Also known as pressure sores or decubitus ulcers, bedsores are a common but preventable problem affecting nursing home residents, resulting from a lack of blood flow to an area of the skin, caused by prolonged pressure on that area of the body. Nursing home residents with limited mobility, or those who have difficulty moving or are unable to move independently, face the greatest risk of bedsores, which can be extremely painful and often prove to be fatal.
An Experienced Nursing Home Abuse Attorney Can Help
Bedsores are considered to be a preventable condition that can be effectively treated if detected early enough by qualified medical staff and healthcare providers. Unfortunately, failure to prevent, identify, or properly treat pressure ulcers can result in life-threatening infections that enter the bloodstream, known as sepsis, which can lead to death in some cases. If you believe a loved one’s nursing home death was caused by neglect, abuse, or improper medical care on the part of the facility’s staff members, our consumer advocates at the Leading Justice can help. We are dedicated to protecting the rights of elderly individuals harmed by the negligence of healthcare providers and can put you in touch with a qualified nursing home neglect lawyer today.