CHICAGO, IL – Nursing homes should be a haven for elderly and disabled individuals who need consistent, quality care. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Too often you hear of nursing home horror stories of neglect and abuse happening in facilities. An estimated 5 million people are affected each year by elder abuse, according to Nursing Home Abuse Justice.
A nursing home injury claim may allow an injured victim, or a victim’s family, to hold the liability party accountable for the abuse or neglect a loved one has endured. Nursing home injury claims also may also allow victims to recover compensatory damages. Damages for physical pain and suffering, mental pain and suffering, emotional distress, and cost of medical treatment may also be recovered among other damages.
Liable Parties
Liable parties refer to the party that is legally responsible for an injury or a death, according to Law Insider. In many nursing home cases, the liable party is the nursing home itself because of their obligation to provide competent care and assist residents.
Nursing homes can violate that obligation by:
- Failing to properly supervise staff
- Failing to maintain an adequate staffing level
- Failing to properly supervise staff
- Failing to perform background checks on staff or other negligent hiring practices
- Medical mistakes, such as medication errors
- Failure to provide adequate assistance with residents daily living activities
- Failing to maintain a safe facility
- Insufficient sanitation of the facility
- Failing to provide adequate security measures
- Intentional abuse of residents, such as physical abuse, psychological or emotional abuse, or sexual abuse
Other Liable Parties
While the nursing home facility is often the liable party that is held accountable for abuse or neglect, there are other parties that may be liable as well. For example, an outside contractor who is not employed by the nursing home can be to blame for a resident’s illness or death. If insufficient sanitation caused a resident to contract an avoidable infection, the company that is contracted to clean and sanitize the facility may be held liable.
Another example would be if a product manufacturer made a defective product, such as a wheelchair, and a resident was injured or died as a result from the product, the manufacturer could be held liable.
Contact a Chicago Nursing Home Abuse & Negligence Attorney
If you or a loved one has suffered due to a nursing homes abuse or negligence, you may be able to hold the liable party accountable and recover compensation for damages through filing a personal injury claim. The nursing home abuse and neglect attorneys of Dinizulu Law Group have extensive knowledge and experience and can help you identify who is liable for the injury or death and represent you throughout the entirety of your case. Call our office at (312) 384-1920 for a free consultation or visit our website for more information.
