When a loved one is living in a nursing home, most people assume they will be taken care of and protected from harm. However, most nursing homes are understaffed, which can lead to neglect of a resident’s needs. The effects of this neglect can be devastating for the elderly residents and their loved ones.
If you or a loved one was seriously injured or burned while staying in a nursing home, we urge you to seek legal advice regarding your situation. Not only can our Suffolk County nursing home burn injuries lawyer help you seek compensation, but we can also attempt to reduce the risk of this type of injury happening in the future. Reach out to our nursing home abuse attorneys to file a claim.
Nursing home residents are encouraged not to use open flames or heat-conducting devices, such as space heaters, electric blankets, or candles. This reduces the risk of fires and burns within the facility and ensures each resident has a safe, comfortable living environment. Therefore, it is shocking and unexpected for family members to learn that their loved one was burned while residing in a nursing home.
Why does it happen? In most cases, the leading causes of burns in nursing homes include:
Regardless of the cause, most burns could have been prevented with better oversight by nursing home staff. This includes more attentive monitoring of residents and restricting access to dangerous items for people with cognitive impairments.
Most burns in adult care facilities result from a violation of safety regulations within the nursing home. Regular inspections in nursing homes are mandatory to ensure electrical code compliance, which should reduce the risk of an electrical fire causing burns to residents and staff.
The nursing home must monitor the items residents bring into the facility to ensure unsafe items are not allowed. The staff must also comply with safety regulations regarding water temperatures to ensure hot water does not contact residents with more fragile skin.
Since burns are usually preventable, their cause can often be linked to someone being negligent. However, determining who is responsible for the burn injury will be based on the cause. Some potential entities include:
A manufacturer may be liable for the injuries sustained if a burn happened because of a faulty product, such as a heating pad or medical equipment. An attorney in Suffolk County could review a nursing home burn injury case to determine who is liable.
Anyone filing a claim with a lawyer for burn injuries sustained in a Suffolk County nursing home, or on behalf of a loved one, must understand that proving their case is their responsibility. This means a claimant must be able to establish:
The injured party or their family must have proof of causation and negligence in the nursing home. This is usually done through providing medical records, photographs, videos, witness statements, or expert testimony.
Proving liability within a nursing home setting presents significant challenges and must be started quickly. In most cases, the statute of limitations is three years from the date of the injury. Therefore, it is often best to consult with a legal team as soon as possible after the incident.
For older adults, even a minor burn can be traumatic and cause lasting pain. For families, there is often a lot of anger and frustration, while questioning how the injury occurred in the first place.
We want you to know that you are not alone in dealing with nursing home neglect. Our Suffolk County nursing home burn injuries lawyer will be beside you every step of the way, helping you establish liability. Please, do not hesitate to contact us for a free consultation today.
No. Our injury cases are handled on a contingent retainer. You pay nothing upfront, and we recover attorney’s fees only if your litigation is successful. We don’t bill by the hour. You don’t need to worry about running up a large attorney’s bill before you see any recovery for your injuries.
Yes. Our firm is dedicated to creating a strong relationship with our clients, beginning with keeping your information and consultation confidential.
Each case we encounter is carefully screened and evidence scrutinized to make sure the claim is meritorious and may be successful at trial. We will perform an investigation, and then our partners make a final decision on whether to take on a case.