Man says dad’s fatal personal injury was due to nursing neglect

Many adult children in Georgia and elsewhere have parents who reside in nursing homes. Some are unable to function independently due to aging or adverse health conditions. Others, such as a man’s father in another state, enter such facilities on a temporary basis as they recover from surgery or other health episodes. In this man’s case, he had suffered a stroke and had been recuperating in a nursing home for several months when a fatal personal injury occurred.

The man was taken to an emergency room, where it was discovered that he was suffering from serious bed sores. His medical records when he entered the nursing home stated he had no bed sores at that time. However, upon admittance to the hospital that day, ER workers told his son that his father’s bedsores were the worst they had ever seen in a patient coming from the nursing home in question.

The man developed a sepsis infection and died approximately two weeks later. His death certificate states that the infection was the likely cause of death. The man’s son believes that substandard care caused the bedsores, which resulted in the infection that ultimately took his father’s life.

When a Georgia nursing home patient suffers personal injury due to neglect, the state allows him or her to seek restitution in civil court. If the injury proves fatal, an adult son or daughter or other immediate family member may file a wrongful death claim. A plaintiff filing such a claim is tasked with providing evidence in court to show that negligence occurred and directly resulted in a loved one’s death. Asking an experienced attorney to act on one’s behalf can make the legal process less stressful.