In yet another nursing home fall and wrongful death lawsuit that our Frederick County, Maryland nursing home attorneys have been following, a Texas nursing home is being sued by the daughter of a deceased resident for negligence.
According to the lawsuit, Miriam Davis is suing Friendswood nursing home for negligence, after her mother died from multiple falls while she was a resident in the nursing home. Davis claims that the nursing home admitted her mother, Virginia Melghem, in November 2009, even though they were aware that she was at-risk for falling, and that they could not properly care for, supervise, or monitor her mother’s needs for safe care and nursing home treatment.
Davis claims that she was told her mother would receive proper care that would be administered to her in a manner that was appropriate to her physical and mental condition. As a resident however, Davis claims that her mother went on to sustain injuries and trauma that included multiple nursing home falls, that last of which led to a broken hip. After her last fall, Melghem died one week later.
According to the CDC, 20 – 30% of elderly people who fall, experience moderate to severe fall-related injuries such as fractured hips, lacerations, or traumas to the head—which can increase the risk of early death. The CDC also claims that the death rates from falls with elderly men and women have spiked over the past decade.
If a resident in a Maryland nursing home experiences an injury or dies because the nursing facility failed to protect the safety and health of the resident, the nursing home could be held responsible for nursing home negligence or even wrongful death. Contact our attorneys today to discuss your nursing home rights.
Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Falls Among Older Adults: An Overview
Daughter sues Friendswood nursing home over mother’s death, The Southeast Texas Record, May 25, 2011
Related Web Resources:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC)
Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, DHMH
Related Blog Posts:
Hospital Accused of Negligence, Wrongful Death in Patient’s Bed-Fall, Maryland Nursing Home Lawyer Blog, May 26, 2011
Nursing Home Fall Awareness and Prevention, Maryland Nursing Home Lawyer Blog, May 6, 2011