A woman died earlier this year after she was placed in a nursing home in another state. Her family, therefore, recently decided to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the facility, alleging nursing home neglect. If people in New Mexico end up losing loved ones due to nursing facilities’ carelessness, they have the right to take legal action.
In a recent out-of-state case, the woman who died in the nursing home was 76 when she entered the facility because her fibula was fractured. She was said to have been alert when she went into the home. In addition, according to the lawsuit, doctors intended to discharge the woman following her leg’s healing.
An orthopedist later reportedly found a wound on the woman’s leg in the area where someone had placed an immobilizer. The woman’s surviving family members claimed that the nursing home staff did not implement appropriate interventions to keep this wound from developing. In addition, the facility is accused of not treating the wound in a timely fashion. As the wound became worse, tendons allegedly became exposed, and the woman ended up having to undergo an amputation above the knee. The woman eventually died.
According to the lawsuit, the nursing home staff did not provide appropriate care to help the woman to heal following the amputation. The family is seeking an unspecified amount in damages in the suit. Liability has to be established in a nursing home neglect lawsuit in New Mexico and elsewhere before claims for damages will be determined.
Source: wacotrib.com, “Family files wrongful death suit against Woodway nursing center“, Tommy Witherspoon, Dec. 16, 2016