Was your loved one a victim of nursing home abuse in Vista, CA? Nursing home abuse and neglect is a serious problem. An experienced Vista nursing home abuse lawyer at Petrov Personal Injury Lawyers can help you fight to hold the at-fault parties liable for medical bills and your pain and suffering. Call (619) 344-0360 today for legal help.
Our legal team has over 20 years of experience fighting for injured clients. Since we opened our offices in 2012, we’ve recovered over $40 million on behalf of injured parties and their families.
We’re always available to discuss your case. Call our law offices in Vista, California, to schedule a free consultation today.
How Petrov Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help With a Nursing Home Abuse Claim in Vista
It’s never easy to put a loved one in a nursing home. Still, it’s sometimes the only way to keep them safe and healthy. It can be devastating to learn the nursing home violated your trust by committing abuse.
Sometimes, pursuing compensation is the only way to get justice. At Petrov Personal Injury Lawyers, we’re dedicated to holding people responsible for their careless, reckless, and wrongful acts.
When you hire our Vista personal injury lawyers, we’ll stand by you every step of the way and work tirelessly to:
- Provide sound legal guidance and support
- Conduct an investigation and gather evidence to prove your case
- Determine who is ultimately responsible for paying your damages
- Carefully evaluate the facts and assess your case value
- Negotiate fiercely with the insurance company to maximize your settlement
- Advocate to protect you in court if the insurance company won’t offer a fair settlement
Are you ready to learn more about getting quality legal representation for your family? Call our Vista personal injury attorneys to schedule a free consultation today.
How Common Is Nursing Home Abuse?
As many as five million older adults in the United States are abused in some way each year. According to World Health Organization (WHO) research, about one in every six adults over age 60 will experience some type of abuse. Many of those are residents in nursing homes and long-term care facilities.
Types of Nursing Home Abuse
Abuse can take many forms. While physical abuse may be the most obvious type of abuse, it’s by no means the only form of abuse.
Our lawyers at Petrov Personal Injury Lawyers handle all types of nursing home abuse cases, including those involving:
Physical Abuse
Physical abuse can include any type of violent contact, including hitting, slapping, pushing, or striking the victim with objects. In nursing homes, physical abuse can also include improper use of restraints, whether physical or chemical in nature.
Sexual Abuse
Sexual abuse in nursing homes can be extremely difficult to detect. Patients who suffer from memory disorders and other disabilities are particularly vulnerable to sexual abuse. Sexual abuse can include rape, unwanted sexual contact, or even unwelcome comments of a sexual nature.
Emotional Abuse
Nursing home residents have the right to be treated with respect. Emotional abuse can be just as damaging as physical abuse in nursing home settings.
Emotional abuse can include insults, threats, coercion, intimidation, or humiliation. Nursing home staff members can also commit emotional and psychological abuse by intentionally isolating vulnerable residents without justification.
Financial Abuse
Residents in assisted living facilities are also vulnerable to financial exploitation and abuse.
Financial abuse can include:
- Stealing a resident’s personal property
- Forging checks
- Opening credit cards in a resident’s name
- Coercing a resident into changing a will or beneficiary designation
Financial abuse can cause serious long-term consequences for your family.
Nursing Home Neglect
Nursing home neglect can be active or passive. Neglect is active when nursing home employees intentionally ignore a resident’s needs. Passive neglect often occurs when nursing homes are understaffed, and employees are overworked.
Neglect can include failure to provide needed medications, withholding food or water, neglecting a resident’s hygiene, or even failing to move an immobile patient to prevent bed sores.
Signs and Symptoms of Nursing Home Abuse
Nursing home abuse can be very difficult to detect. Nursing home staff members may take steps to conceal the abuse. Victims may be reluctant to report the abuse because they’re humiliated, afraid, and ashamed.
Some of the most common signs of nursing home abuse include:
- Unexplained bruises, fractures, and lacerations
- Repeated injury reports
- Unexplained weight loss
- Bed sores
- Infections
- Abrasions around the ankles or wrists
- Untreated medical conditions
- STDs and genital injuries
- Personality changes in the victim, such as becoming withdrawn, depressed, or uncommunicative
- Fear of speaking around nursing home staff
- Staff members who refuse to leave you alone with your loved one
- Unexplained financial transactions
- Unsanitary conditions or poor hygiene
- Dehydration or malnutrition
There’s no risk in asking questions to make sure your loved one is safe. Our lawyers are here to help in any way we can. If you suspect your loved one was a victim of nursing home abuse or negligence, call our law firm in Vista to schedule a free consultation today.
What Is My Vista Nursing Home Abuse Case Worth?
The value of any personal injury claim depends on the unique circumstances. Our lawyers will conduct a detailed analysis when assessing your case value.
We’ll consider these and other factors:
- The nature of the harm or injuries your loved one suffered
- The nature of the abuse and identity of the at-fault parties
- How the abuse will impact your loved one’s quality of life
- How your family was impacted by the abuse
- Whether the abuse is likely to cause permanent damage
Our attorneys can offer more details once we hear your story and understand the facts. To learn more, call for a free case review today.
What Types of Damages Are Available to Victims of Nursing Home Abuse?
Like any car accident victim, victims of nursing home abuse can seek compensation for their economic and non-economic damages.
Depending on the facts, you may be entitled to compensation for:
- Past and future medical expenses
- Rehabilitation and specialized therapies
- Your lost wages if you miss work to help your loved one
- Costs associated with relocating your family member to a new nursing home
- Restitution in cases involving financial abuse
- Counseling
- Out-of-pocket expenses
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Anxiety
- Depression
- PTSD
- Damages for wrongful death
You may also be entitled to punitive damages if your case involved intentional wrongdoing or gross negligence.
Long-Term Consequences of Nursing Home Abuse
The long-term consequences of nursing home abuse can be serious. Victims often suffer both physically and emotionally.
Depending on the circumstances and type of abuse involved, your loved one may suffer from:
- New medical conditions and worsened overall health
- Physical injuries, such as broken bones and bed sores
- Severe depression and PTSD
- Pneumonia and respiratory conditions
- Reduced life expectancy
- Financial insecurity
- Wrongful death
Our Vista nursing home abuse attorneys at Petrov Personal Injury Lawyers will work closely with your family to evaluate the impact of the neglect or abuse. When you create an attorney-client relationship with us, you can count on us to demand the full and fair compensation your family deserves.
What Causes Most Instances of Nursing Home Abuse in Vista, California?
Nursing home and elder abuse often happen because of:
- Negligent hiring practices, including failure to conduct background checks
- Underqualified employees
- Understaffing
- Unsanitary living conditions
- Lack of necessary medical equipment
- Failure to train and supervise staff members
- Failure to call a doctor when needed
- Failure to transfer the resident to a hospital if necessary
- Failure to monitor patients with Alzheimer’s, dementia, and other conditions
- Negligent security
- Unsafe property conditions
Nursing facilities have a duty to ensure their residents receive proper care. If the nursing home fails to provide that care, they can be held liable for the resulting harm.
Who Can Be Held Liable if My Loved One Was a Victim of Nursing Home Abuse in California?
Of course, the person who committed the abuse can be held financially responsible for your losses. However, additional parties may be liable under California law, including:
- The nursing home
- A corporation that owns a group of nursing homes
- Doctors and health care providers who commit medical malpractice
- Government agencies in charge of licensing and oversight
To recover the most compensation possible, it’s important to identify all parties who share blame for allowing the nursing home abuse to occur.
How Long Do I Have To File a Nursing Home Abuse Lawsuit in California?
The statute of limitations in California is two years. You’ll have two years from the date you discover the abuse, or reasonably should have discovered the abuse, to file a personal injury lawsuit.
It’s also possible that you could have more time if criminal charges are filed against the abuser. While a criminal case is pending, the statute of limitations is paused.
Contact a Vista Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer for a Free Consultation
Were you or a loved one a victim of nursing home abuse? You may be entitled to significant compensation. Our Vista nursing home abuse lawyers at Petrov Personal Injury Lawyers are here to help your family fight for justice. Just call our team to schedule a free consultation so that we can get started today.
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