Nursing homes and other long-term care facilities in Schertz and the surrounding areas should provide a safe and comfortable space for their patients to live. They, in theory, should offer nursing care that meets the appropriate medical standards while also protecting the general well-being of residents. Sadly, incidents of neglect or outright abuse happen to thousands of nursing home patients every year. Fortunately, any senior care center that that allows these injuries to occur might need to pay financial compensation and assume liability for any resulting harm.
If you or a loved one was injured by the negligent conduct of a retirement home, a Schertz nursing home abuse lawyer can help you hold this organization accountable. One of our skilled personal injury representatives can help residents and their families understand their rights under the law, investigate the cause of an injury, measure their losses, and demand that nursing homes provide fair compensation as a result of careless behavior.
There are numerous situations where abuse, neglect, or oversight in a nursing home could result in an unexpected or serious injury. In many cases, forgetting to care for a specific patient might have serious consequences. If a retirement home fails to clean up a spill, a resident could slip, fall, and break bones. Meanwhile, if a nursing home does not offer enough food or leaves someone in bed for too long, this patient could suffer from malnutrition or bedsores. Even though all of this might seem accidental, a nursing home would still likely need to assume legal responsibility for these kinds of injuries.
Meanwhile, in other circumstances, intentional abuse or violence might result in a nursing home patient getting injured. With many nursing home residents being unable to defend themselves, the opportunity for intentional mistreatment is always present. Nurses or other staff members may intentionally withhold food or water, fail to provide painkillers to residents in need, or even physically strike a senior patient. The prospect of this happening is frightening, but a detail-oriented attorney in Schertz can investigate the source of the nursing home abuse to begin assembling a compelling claim.
Nursing homes have an obligation under the law to keep their residents safe. However, in most situations, it is not possible to say that a nursing home’s management or ownership directly harmed a senior citizen. Instead, the law holds these companies responsible through the concept of “vicarious liability.” Under this legal framework, the manager or person in charge of a retirement home would share liability with the employee who caused the injury.
Meanwhile, a separate legal concept might also hold a nursing home liable for any intentional misconduct. During the hiring process, all nursing homes must properly screen their workers to evaluate the propensity for abuse. A worker who intentionally harms someone after being negligently hired might require their employer to face some of the case’s blame.
This means that the entity or party responsible for retirement home neglect depends on the situation. Determining who to target with a nursing home abuse claim can be a unique challenge, but a hardworking lawyer in Schertz can take charge of a difficult case.
Unfortunately, nursing homes and their often-negligent staff are a surprisingly frequent source of injuries. Uncovering this abuse is crucial because it helps families seek justice and works to prevent further instances of mistreatment. If you suspect that a loved one is being neglected or treated poorly in their senior care center, you should call an experienced team member today. A Schertz nursing home abuse lawyer could investigate what happened, interview witnesses, analyze evidence, and do everything possible to help your family seek justice.