Maryland Nursing Home Lawyer Blog
Last month, nine people were arrested for their participation in the death of a 72-year-old nursing home patient in Long Island, New York. According to an article by CBS New York, several of those involved were charged with criminally negligent homicide, and the administrator of the nursing home was charged with covering up the death.
Back in October of 2012, the elderly victim was admitted into the nursing home after suffering from a bout of pneumonia. She was supposed to be in the nursing home for just six weeks and then return home. However, at some point in her stay her ventilator became unplugged. Employees ignored alarms for two hours and by the time they did show up, she had died.
The family of the woman was told that their loved one died of a heart attack. it was not until a whistle blower came forward and told the attorney general of New York what really happened that an investigation was conducted. Upon completion of the investigation criminal charges were pressed against seven employees.
In addition to the criminal charges of negligent homicide, the victim’s family is also pressing civil charges against the nursing home and the individuals. They are seeking a monetary award for their lose based on the negligence of the nursing home employees.
Negligence, Errors, and Abuse in Maryland Nursing Homes
Nursing homes are not known for their stellar safety records. In fact, the investigation of the nursing home in the story above uncovered about 5,000 incidents and accidents in 2008 alone.
Nursing homes can be hit or miss. Some are facilities that truly care about the well being of their patients and take good care of them. Others are essentially running on low over-head, high turnover models that lend themselves to abuse and negligence.
As mentioned in the story above, when a nursing home is responsible for the death or injury of a patient, they are liable in civil court (and potentially criminal court as well) to the victim and their family. This is because all nursing homes have a duty to provide adequate care to their patients.
What To Do if You Suspect Your Loved One is in Trouble at a Maryland Nursing Home?
If you believe that one of your loved ones is being provided inadequate care or is being abused, you should verify the suspicion and then remove them from the home as soon as possible. Depending on the specific circumstances of the case, you may be entitled to monetary damages abused on the low quality of care they provided. The Maryland personal injury firm of Lebowitz & Mzhen has a team of dedicated Maryland nursing home attorneys on staff ready to speak with you about the facts of your case. Click here, or call 410-654-3600 to speak with an experienced attorney today to discuuss the facts of your case.
See More Blog Posts:
University of Maryland Study Shows Correlation Between Patient Turnover and Poor Nursing Home Quality, Maryland Nursing Home Lawyer Blog, published February 17, 2014.
Indiana Nurse Prosecuted for Death of Elderly Nursing Home Resident , Maryland Nursing Home Lawyer Blog, published February 10, 2014.