Bed Sore Attorneys in Tallahassee, FL Fighting Against Elder Abuse in Leon County, Wakulla County, Jefferson County, Gadsden County, and Throughout Florida and Georgia
Bedsores (or decubitus ulcers) aren’t just painful and disfiguring. These wounds can lead to potentially life-threatening infections and advance to stages that involve significant damage to the body’s tissues, nerves, and even bones. Bedsores are considered by Medicare to be a “Never Event” meaning that they are presumptively the result of negligence.When bedsores develop in Nursing Homes, long-term care, and even hospital settings, the presence of the wounds strongly suggest the patient was subjected to negligence or neglect. Our Tallahassee bed sore injury lawyers help families hold nursing homes and their staff legally accountable for these injuries and secure compensation for the injured resident’s medical expenses.
At Brooks, LeBoeuf, Foster, Gwartney, & Hobbs P.A., we’re prepared to fight for your family. Contact us today to have our bed sore infection attorneys in Tallahassee, FL, review your case at no cost.Attorney and firm partner Scott E. Gwartney has handled hundreds of bedsore cases where the bedsores developed or significantly worsened in Nursing Homes, Group Homes and hospitals throughout Florida and Georgia, holding those who neglected their patients accountable for these disfiguring and often life-threatening wounds. Mr. Gwartney heads up the firm’s Nursing Home, Assisted Living and Group Home Litigation department.
Bed Sore Infection Injuries in Tallahassee, FL, Nursing Homes
Bedsores are a type of wound that usually develops from lack of oxygen, carried by the blood, caused by prolonged pressure on the bony prominences skin, such as hips, heels, and the sacrum/lower back. Bedsores can even develop on the ears, under mis-placed oxygen tubing and bandages that are wrapped too tight. Bedsores can also develop on those who are left wet or soiled for extended periods of time, because urine and feces are caustic and cause the skin to break down. These injuries generally occur in people who have limited mobility and may spend much of their time confined to a bed or wheelchair. Because residents with mobility problems often reside in Nursing Homes, care must be taken in these facilities to prevent bedsores and the potentially serious complications they can cause.
When bed sore injuries occur in a nursing home setting, particularly at advanced stages such as stage III and stage IV, it’s worth considering whether neglect could be a factor. Our Tallahassee bedsore injury lawyers investigate potential claims arising out of these injuries and help injured residents and families hold nursing homes accountable.
Bed Sore Formation in Nursing Homes
The unrelenting pressure of being bed-bound or confined to a wheelchair, especially when combined with factors like moisture, friction, and pulling on the skin, can lead to a bed sore. These injuries are also known as pressure ulcers, pressure sores, and decubitus ulcers.
Certain factors that can make nursing home residents particularly vulnerable to bed sore injuries include:
- Age
- Immobility
- Being bedridden
Some health conditions that commonly occur in nursing home resident populations may also raise the risk of developing bedsores, including dementia, malnutrition, diabetes and kidney failure.
Bedsores can develop anywhere the circulation of blood is cut off, but most typically appear on the body’s natural pressure points where the bone is close to the surface of the skin, with little fat protecting it. Examples of common sites for pressure ulcers to form include:
- The ears
- The back and sides of the head
- Shoulder blades
- Back and spine
- Elbows
- Hips and sacrum
- Buttocks and tailbone
- Knees
- Ankles
- Heels
The severity of bedsores depends on the stage of the wound.
- A stage 1 bed sore is described as a reddened non-blanchable area, that may feel tender and may be discolored, but the skin does not have an open wound.
- A stage 2 bed sore has a break in the top two layers of skin, is a shallow wound that may look like as blister or abrasion. The area around the break in the skin may be red or irritated.
- A stage 3 bed sore is diagnosed when the wound is deeper, extending into the deepest layer of the skin called the hypodermis or subcutaneous tissues. This fatty layer is the deepest layer of skin.
- A stage 4 bed sore has penetrated all layers of skin and the muscles, tendons, even bones, and joints beneath the skin are exposed. Stage 4 bedsores are very serious wounds that present many challenges to closure and healing.
The more advanced stage a bed sore reaches, the greater the potential for the wound to become infected, resulting in potentially deadly complications. The advice of knowledgeable bed sore infection attorneys in Tallahassee, FL, can help families facing these challenging medical issues due to nursing home neglect get answers, justice, and monetary compensation.
How Brooks, LeBoeuf, Foster, Gwartney, & Hobbs P.A. Can Help Sue a Nursing Home for Bedsores
You need legal knowledge and investigative skills on your side to explore a potential claim for negligence and hold a nursing home, assisted living facility, group home or hospital financially accountable for pressure ulcers. Our Tallahassee bed sore injury lawyers serve injured residents who developed pressure ulcers in settings such as:
- Nursing homes
- Assisted living facilities
- Group home facilities
- Hospitals & rehab hospitals
We provide full-service legal representation for clients pursuing nursing home abuse and neglect cases, throughout both Florida and Georgia, including:
- An initial case review to analyze the facts of your situation
- Investigation of our clients’ claims and potential defendants
- Evidence collection to support the case
- Claims management, which encompasses paperwork and legal documents, deadlines, and communications with defendants and insurance companies
- Representation throughout all claims stages and legal proceedings
- Settlement negotiations, litigation initiation, and/or trial preparation
As your bed sore infection attorneys in Tallahassee, FL, we’re ready to protect your family’s rights, advocate for your interests, and confront any obstacles that emerge in your claim.
Why Choose Brooks, LeBoeuf, Foster, Gwartney, & Hobbs P.A.?
Extensive experience, recognition of how serious a bed sore injury is, and a background in handling nursing home claims of all kinds are just a few of the reasons clients choose us as their bed sore infection attorneys in Tallahassee, FL.
Experience Serving Families Across Florida
For more than 35 years, Brooks, LeBoeuf, Foster, Gwartney, & Hobbs P.A.’s Tallahassee bed sore injury lawyers have fought for injury victims throughout Florida. With more than 100 years of combined legal experience and more than 10,000 cases handled, we’re ready to fight for your family.
Knowledge of What’s at Stake
We recognize just how severe a bed sore can be and how seriously it can impact a nursing home resident’s health, especially when they already have risk factors and complex medical needs. You can count on our Tallahassee bed sore injury lawyers to take your concerns seriously and give your case our all. There’s too much at stake to do anything less.
Comprehensive Representation for Injured Nursing Home Residents
Brooks, LeBoeuf, Foster, Gwartney, & Hobbs P.A. is well-known for handling all forms of nursing home negligence claims. We’re equipped to not only investigate suspected neglect that led directly to the bed sore but also to identify other consequences of nursing home negligence, from contractures to fall injuries and dehydration and malnutrition.
Contact the Tallahassee Bed Sore Injury Lawyers at Brooks, LeBoeuf, Foster, Gwartney, & Hobbs P.A. Today for a Free Case Evaluation
Bedsores, like the neglect that gives rise to them, can quickly get worse in a nursing home. Our firm encourages injured residents and their families to seek out both medical and legal assistance as soon as they become aware of a pressure wound to reduce the risk of serious complications. By providing a free, confidential consultation and legal representation on a contingency basis, we ensure families affected by nursing home neglect can take legal action without hesitation.
For help from bed sore infection attorneys in Tallahassee, FL, contact Brooks, LeBoeuf, Foster, Gwartney, & Hobbs P.A. online or call 850-605-3555 today.
