Wrongful Death and Nursing Homes: Hold Negligent Parties Accountable
Moving a loved one to a nursing home is often a decision families make to ensure their loved one is taken care of. Sadly, some nursing homes don’t provide the standard of care their patients or their families expect. Nursing home abuse and neglect endangers patients and devastates families.
When abuse or neglect in a nursing home has caused a patient’s death, there may be grounds for a wrongful death lawsuit. The attorneys at Tawwater Law Firm fight to hold those who are responsible for wrongful death in nursing homes in Oklahoma City, OK, and surrounding areas liable for their negligence.
Wrongful Death and Nursing Homes
Nursing homes are intended to provide quality care to their patients. When staff abuse or neglect their patients, it can result in the wrongful death of a patient.
A wrongful death in a nursing home is a death that would not have happened if proper medical care was given and abuse or neglect did not occur.
In addition to abuse and neglect, a wrongful death may also be caused by some other act of negligence such as medication errors.
Possible Causes of Wrongful Death in Nursing Homes
Abuse and neglect in Oklahoma City nursing homes can lead to wrongful death. Some possible causes of wrongful death in a nursing home include:
- Medication errors
- Malnutrition
- Dehydration
- Bedsores or pressure ulcers
- Infections like sepsis
- Insufficient or no fall prevention
- Assault
- Untreated medical conditions or lack of proper medical care
Who Can Be Sued for Wrongful Death in a Nursing Home?
When a wrongful death is believed to have occurred in a nursing home, any party who is thought to be responsible may be sued. This can include:
- Staff
- Third-party caregivers
- Other residents
- Nursing home administrators
- The owners of the nursing home
Who Can File a Wrongful Death Lawsuit?
If a nursing home or its staff acted negligently and caused the death of a patient, certain surviving family members may be able to recover compensation and hold responsible parties liable for their negligence through a wrongful death lawsuit.
Depending on local jurisdiction, a personal representative or executor of the deceased’s estate must bring the case before the courts. This person represents the deceased and their beneficiaries. Other people who may be able to file a wrongful death lawsuit include:
- The surviving spouse
- Adult children
- Parents of the deceased
- Grandparents of the deceased
- Siblings of the deceased
Recovering Damages
Although no amount of money can ease the pain and grief of losing a loved one, recovering financial compensation through a wrongful death lawsuit can help ease the financial burden left by the death of the loved one as well as hold negligent parties liable. Some types of damages that may be recovered include:
- Health care costs
- Medical expenses
- Funeral costs
- Pain and suffering
- Punitive damages
Schedule a Consultation with the Tawwater Law Firm
If you suspect your loved one’s death at a nursing home was preventable and caused by negligence, you may be able to recover damages through a wrongful death lawsuit. To discuss the details of your claim, please call our Oklahoma City office at (405) 607-1400 to schedule a consultation.