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West Virginia widow files lawsuit against nursing home for death

When a loved one gets injured at home and seeks medical care, both the patient and patient’s family members have the right to expect that the hospital and other medical facilities involved in the patient’s care will offer proper treatments for the patient. In some cases, sensitivities to medications are discovered during the care. When that occurs, proper documentation of the sensitivity and orders for avoiding the medication are usually standard.

One West Virginia widow has filed a lawsuit against Peterson Rehabilitation Hospital and Geriatric Center for allegedly administering a medication that caused fatal respiratory distress.

She filed the lawsuit in the Ohio Circuit Court for an unspecified amount in damages. She accused the nursing facility of violating the West Virginia Nursing Home Act. She is seeking damages for lawyers’ costs, loss of companionship, pain and suffering, and medical expenses.

This horrible tragedy started when the woman’s husband fell at home and needed to have his hip repaired. At that time, he was given a narcotic for pain relief. He went into respiratory distress. From the hospital, he was transferred to the nursing home with instructions on his transfer paperwork that he shouldn’t have narcotics. The nursing facility, however, allegedly failed to comply with that. He was given a powerful narcotic that led to his death.

Nursing homes must be held to a high standard of care. Part of that standard involves following doctor’s orders and making sure that patients aren’t harmed. When nursing homes don’t meet that high standard of care, patients can be injured. In some cases, the patient might die. Anyone who has a loved one who has been injured in a nursing home might be able to seek compensation for the nursing home negligence leading to the injury.

Source:  The West Virginia Record, “Widow blames nursing home for husband’s death” Ben Hart, Apr. 28, 2014

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