Generally speaking, the average settlement in a bedsore lawsuit is around $1 million.
Jacksonville, FL – Earlier last year, a Florida jury set a legal precedent by awarding $2.1 million in damages to a 70-year-old man who developed an extremely painful bedsore during a stay at a nursing home in Oak Haven. His family did not lose any time and contacted experienced lawyers to file a nonlethal negligence damage claim against the facility.
What are bedsores and why are they dangerous?
Pressure ulcers or bedsores are injuries to the skin and underlying tissue resulting from prolonged pressure on the skin. They usually develop on skin that covers bony areas of the body, such as the heels, ankles, hips, and tailbone. Bedsores are very common among bedridden patients.
If a nursing home resident is affected by paralysis or has severe mobility problems, nursing home staff are responsible for preventing bedsores. They must clean the resident’s diaper as needed and change their position frequently. In many cases, the doctor will recommend that the patient be turned on the other side every two hours to prevent pressure ulcers. Good luck with that if the nursing home is understaffed. The resident will be lucky if someone remembers to change their position even once a day.
Bedsores can cause excruciating pains and they can easily become infected. For an elderly person with a compromised immune system, the infection can lead to sepsis and kill them in a matter of days.
Every time you visit a bed-bound resident, make sure to check for bedsores. Contact reliable Jacksonville nursing home abuse lawyers right away. Make sure to take pictures of the injury, as they will play an important role when you file a claim.
What types of damages are available in a bedsore lawsuit?
Your Florida nursing home abuse lawyers will first determine who is responsible for the injuries. According to a recent study, over 75% of the cases examined were caused by negligence, while medical malpractice accounted for 22.7% of the bedsores developed by patients in a nursing home setting.
Maybe the aides did their best to care for the patient, but the nurses or doctors in charge committed an error. If that is the case, you will have to contact reputable medical malpractice lawyers.
In a bedsore lawsuit, you can seek economic damages for the medical expenses the injury incurred. If the resident died after going into sepsis, your nursing home abuse lawyers will help you file a wrongful death lawsuit. You can recover medical expenses as well as funeral and burial costs.
Your lawyers will have to figure out how much to seek for the resident’s pain and suffering. This refers to both mental and physical suffering.
Generally speaking, the average settlement in a bedsore lawsuit is around $1 million. Your lawyers will surely go for a 7-figure compensation if the pressure ulcers caused a lot of pain and scarring. However, in a wrongful death claim, you can seek even $4 million or more.
Bottom line, if a nursing home resident develops bedsores you must document the injury, taking photos and videos. Call 911 if the nursing home is unable to provide them the care they need. Finally, get a lawyer and sue the facility.
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