Our commitment to getting justice for nursing home injury victims and their families has made Lanzone Morgan, LLP, one of the leading elder abuse firms in the U.S.
Our team’s dedication to holding negligent nursing homes and health care providers accountable recently led to a sizeable bedsore injury settlement. In that case, a nursing facility’s lack of care caused a patient’s pressure ulcer to significantly worsen, ultimately leading to his death.
Severe Bedsores Become Fatal After Neglect at LA County Facility
Our team filed a lawsuit against a Los Angeles County skilled nursing facility and other defendants over the wrongful death of a resident. We alleged that the facility’s failure to properly treat a severe pressure ulcer caused it to significantly worsen, leading to our client’s death.
We demanded proper compensation for the victim’s family for his medical expenses and pain and suffering, holding the defendants accountable for elder abuse and neglect.
A Facility Botches the Victim’s Bedsore Treatment Plan
Our client was initially hospitalized with heart failure in December 2022 and discharged to a care center the next month. By the time he was admitted to a different hospital in March 2023, he had a stage III sacral pressure wound on the base of his spine, contractures in multiple limbs and joints, and other tissue damage.
Our client was discharged to the skilled nursing facility after his wounds had shown some improvement. During his stay, staff found he had multiple deep tissue injuries and was at high risk of developing further pressure ulcers. The facility put him on a care plan that required frequent repositioning, but its staff consistently failed to move him in accordance with that plan.
Between March 25 and May 16, the facility’s staff failed to reposition the victim at least 100 times. After showing some initial improvement, the facility was at least 61% noncompliant with our client’s treatment plan during the month of April. Though his main wound was worsening, the facility still missed at least 36 repositionings in the first half of May before the ulcer was found to have progressed to stage IV.
The Facility’s Failures Contribute to the Victim’s Death
The victim’s bedsores were significantly worse when he saw wound care specialists on May 16. The next day, he was transferred to a hospital and diagnosed with sepsis, pneumonia, and a colon infection. His pressure wound had exposed bone and muscle, and he had developed an additional deep tissue injury on his hip.
He was sent home for one day in June before being rehospitalized, and his wound continued to worsen until his death on August 31. Though he was in poor overall health, the pressure ulcer was a significant factor in his passing. His brief improvement before being admitted to the skilled nursing facility showed he could have recovered from his wounds if they were properly treated, but the facility couldn’t even meet his basic care needs.
Repositioning is the single most important treatment for pressure ulcers, and the facility consistently failed to follow the victim’s treatment plan. Even though his plans immediately identified the need for a low-air-loss mattress, the facility didn’t order one for him until more than a week after his admission.
Our Team Wins Fair Compensation for the Victim’s Family
Our team demanded a settlement for the violation of our client’s rights, arguing that each instance of the facility’s failure to reposition him, provide a proper mattress, or accurately assess his wounds was a separate offense that created significant liability for the facility.
We secured a significant settlement, obtaining the compensation and justice our client’s family deserved.
Contact Lanzone Morgan, LLP, About Your Pressure Sore Injury Case
At Lanzone Morgan, LLP, our skilled attorneys have more than 75 years of combined experience handling nursing home abuse and neglect cases across California. Elder abuse is our sole legal focus, and we’ve recovered more than $250 million for clients like you.
If you or a loved one suffered a bedsore because of neglect at a nursing home or health care facility, contact us online or call 888-887-9777 today for a free consultation.
“Nursing homes have a duty to do everything in their power to prevent a resident from getting pressure sores. Or, if the resident already has a pressure sore or bed sore when they enter the facility, the nursing home has a duty under federal law to do everything possible to prevent the worsening of that already existing pressure sore. Federal regulation states that, based on the comprehensive assessment of a resident, the facility must ensure that: Number one, a resident who enters the facility without pressure sores does not develop pressure sores unless the individual's clinical condition demonstrates that they were unavoidable. Number two, a resident having pressure sores receives necessary treatment and services to promote healing, prevent infection, and prevent new sores from developing. So, while not every pressure sore or bed sore is preventable, the nursing home has a legal duty to do everything in its power to prevent them from developing.”
The following content has been legally reviewed and approved by nursing home abuse attorney Anthony Lanzone. Anthony holds notable memberships with professional organizations including the American Association for Justice and Consumer Attorneys of California.