A family in Massachusetts has been awarded nearly $14 million dollars in damages after the Middlesex Superior Court found the nursing home guilty of gross negligence, ultimately causing the death of the 90 year old woman. The woman was admitted into the nursing home facility, which managed around 15 other facilities in the state, with multiple infections, glucose levels that needed monitoring and an infected pressure ulcer. With all of her medical conditions, the family trusted that the nursing home facility would provide her with 24 hour care, that she would eventually get better.
This was not the case for this woman. Her infections worsened as did her glucose levels. Because of the untreated infections, the woman was in an altered state of mind, as serious infections oftentimes cause and she ultimately fell out of a wheelchair while unattended during lunch. The woman struck her head and was rushed to a local emergency room where she was found to be suffering from multiple conditions that were deemed to be quite serious.
To name a few, the woman was diagnosed with acute appendicitis, intracranial intracerebral contusion, acute renal failure and fecal impaction among other illnesses. She underwent a round of antibiotics but ultimately succumbed to her injuries and infections in 2008.
At trial, counsel for the woman were able to convince the jury that she was neglected for weeks, possibly months. After several witnesses and experts testified to her condition in the MA gross negligence case, the jury deliberated for several hours and found the nursing home grossly negligent, causing her to ultimately pass away. The jury awarded her estate $12.51 million dollars in punitive damages and $1.43 million in compensatory damages. Although no amount of money could replace the woman or repay her for months of pain she endured at the nursing home, justice was served.
According to the 2012 Gensworth Financial cost of care survey, the average cost of skilled nursing in Mass. was $9,794.00 per month. Over 1.3 million patients were in nursing homes by March 2014 across the United States. Making the decision to take a family member to a nursing home is a difficult one and although Mass. is rated 13th nationally in nursing home quality and care, stories like the one above happen all too often.
At Mazow McCullough, we understand the difficulties of parting with a family member to place them in a nursing home. We further understand that you placed your faith and your loved one in the hands of people you thought you could trust. If your family or a loved one suffered at the hands of a nursing home and its staff, we are here to help. We will handle your case with the dignity and diligence the nursing home failed to give to your loved one. We can help you to feel empowered again as you seek justice for you or your loved one’s injuries and/or wrongful death. The right lawyer makes all the difference. You can contact us at 978-744-8000 or [email protected].
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