A West Virginia family is alleging nursing home neglect after a loved one died at a Fayette County facility. It is a sad reality often faced by elderly people and their families, as the centers responsible for their care allow untreated medical conditions to cause larger problems. In this instance, a man reportedly died from an untreated sepsis infection.
The lawsuit alleges that the nursing home failed to provide a reasonable standard of care, as the man contracted a urinary tract infection, pneumonia, and the eventually fatal infection. In its wrongful death lawsuit, the family of the deceased has asserted that the nursing home staff failed to properly care for the man’s catheter, and as a result, he endured significant pain and suffering.
The elderly are often subjected to this sort of negligence from medical professionals. Though families entrust nursing homes with valuable and vulnerable lives, some allow individuals to suffer significant injuries that could have been avoided. Bedsores and bone fractures are more common than life-ending sepsis, but this serious illness shows the possibilities that follow when medical facilities fail in their duty.
Nothing can bring back the loved one lost in this unfortunate tragedy. For now, though, the family will have its day in court. The deceased’s wife is even seeking punitive damages, a measure often given to punish the most egregious defendants. With the help of personal injury attorneys, the loved ones of the victims of nursing home neglect have the opportunity to hold negligent nursing homes accountable for their actions.
Source: The West Virginia Record, “Fayette Nursing and Rehabilitation Center hit with wrongful death suit,” Glenna Herald, Aug. 26, 2013