Super Lawyers
Justia Lawyer Rating for Ronald V. Miller Jr.
Best Law Firms
Avvo Rating - 10
Million Dollar Advocates Forum
Litigator Awards

Why Bed Sores Result in Lawsuits?

Most bed sore lawsuits involve sheer neglect. So much suffering could be avoided if the staff just truly cared.

Bed sores (also called decubitus ulcers, pressure ulcers, or pressure sores) are injuries to the skin and to the underlying tissue. Bed sores typically develop when blood supply to the skin is cut off for more than a few hours. As the skin dies from lack of oxygen, the bed sore begins as a red, painful area, which eventually turns purple.

Nursing Homes Don’t Follow Their Policies

Most nursing homes have really good policies to prevent bed sores from starting and good procedures for controlling those pressure sores that are becoming problematic. It is following the policy is where the nursing facilities struggle mightily. Most facilities have pressure ulcer clinical practice guidelines that mandate keeping the resident clean and dry, turning and repositioning, having a methodical schedule of turning and repositioning, assessing their risk and carefully monitoring the patient’s progress.

Left untreated, which happens in far too many Maryland nursing homes, a bed sore can become infected because it exposes the area to germs and bacteria. A bed sore can become deep, extending into the muscle. Once a bed sore develops, healing is difficult, particularly in nursing home patients who often have other medical issues. Bed sores in nursing home often are very painful and lead to severe complications and even death as a result of infection in the bone or blood.

bed sore claims

bed sore claimsBedsores can result from a nursing home care taker’s negligence properly treat a patient in a nursing home. Specifically, the injury is often the neglect of failing to turn incapacitated patients, failure to provide an appropriately padded wheelchair, chair or bed, and failure of the nursing home to keep the patient’s skin clean and dry.

The parts of the body at the greatest risk bed sore injuries are the shoulder blades, the base of the spine, and the sides of the knees, heels, hips, back of the head and other areas of the body where there is little fat to provide a cushion. Bed sores are also referred to as pressure sores, pressure ulcers and decubitus ulcers.

What Is So Maddening About Bed Sores

Most medical malpractice cases involve good doctors doing their best who just make mistakes. Nursing home bed sore cases are something else entirely. The primary cause of bed sore injuries and deaths in this country is hospitals and nursing homes simply not caring enough. So many of our clients are so upset because they know it was not just a simple mistake that caused their parent/spouse or sibling to suffer and/or die. Instead, lack of compassion and humanity was a real cause of the harm that was done.

There is no question these are injuries that can largely be avoided just by caring about the people you are treating. This is not splitting atoms. Turning and positioning. That is the name of the game and it is simple.

Getting a Lawyer to Fight for You

Every perspective client that calls Miller & Zois is treated with the utmost respect.

If someone you love has injuries or unknown origin, bed sores, a broken hip or frequent falls and you are suspicions of elder abuse or nursing home negligence, a personal injury lawsuit may be filed on their behalf.

If you believe that you or someone you love has suffered a serious injury as the result of nursing home abuse or nursing home neglect, call our nursing home attorneys at 800-553-8082 or get a free Internet consultation. There are no fees or expenses unless a recovery is obtained in your nursing home case.

client-reviews
Client Reviews
★★★★★
They quite literally worked as hard as if not harder than the doctors to save our lives. Terry Waldron
★★★★★
Ron helped me find a clear path that ended with my foot healing and a settlement that was much more than I hope for. Aaron Johnson
★★★★★
Hopefully I won't need it again but if I do, I have definitely found my lawyer for life and I would definitely recommend this office to anyone! Bridget Stevens
★★★★★
The last case I referred to them settled for $1.2 million. John Selinger
★★★★★
I am so grateful that I was lucky to pick Miller & Zois. Maggie Lauer
★★★★★
The entire team from the intake Samantha to the lawyer himself (Ron Miller) has been really approachable. Suzette Allen
★★★★★
The case settled and I got a lot more money than I expected. Ron even fought to reduce how much I owed in medical bills so I could get an even larger settlement. Nchedo Idahosa
Contact Information