Did nursing home negligence lead to resident’s death?

Transferring patients can be an arduous task. If those doing the transfer are not careful, patients could suffer injuries. Some medical and nursing home facilities here in Maryland and elsewhere use lifts to help facilitate those transfers, which are supposed to be safer. However, if not used properly, it too, can lead to serious injuries or the death of a patient. Such an error may be construed as nursing home negligence by a court.

A family in a neighboring state believes that negligence led to the death of their family member. During a transfer using a lift on April 15, 2016, the woman fell. Reportedly, this was not the first time she fell or suffered injuries during a transfer. Her family says it happened no less than six other times prior to this fall, which they say led to her death eight days later.

Employees at the Virginia nursing home purportedly told surviving family members that standard procedure requires two people to facilitate a patient transfer even when using a lift. Records indicate the facility had numerous safety violations in both 2015 and 2016 that may not have been corrected prior to the woman’s death. The estate’s executor subsequently filed a medical malpractice lawsuit, seeking approximately $2.5 million in damages.

Just as would be the case here in Maryland, it will be up to the court in this case to decide whether nursing home negligence occurred. Families who lose loved ones who they entrusted into the care of someone else may have legal options. In order to know for sure, it may be a good idea to consult with an attorney with experience in these types of cases.

Source: mcknights.com, “Lawsuit: Dangerous lift transfers preceded woman’s deadly fall at nursing home“, Kimberly Marselas, May 4, 2018