Injured in a Nursing Home? Did a Loved One Suffer Nursing Home Injuries in Springfield? Call Our Illinois Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Lawyers
Although most nursing homes and adult care facilities are safe places, that is not always the case. Unfortunately, statistics reveal that one out of every 10 Americans over the age of 60 will be the victim of nursing home abuse or neglect this year. This amounts to as many as five million Americans who will suffer abuse or neglect in a nursing home or related facility. What is most troubling is that many of the incidents of abuse and neglect will not be detected, meaning that there are many more victims out there. However, some residents suffer significant nursing home injuries that are life-changing and even fatal. If you or a loved one suffered any type of nursing home injury in Illinois, call the experienced nursing home abuse lawyers in Springfield, IL for help.
At the Noll Law Office, victims and their families can call to schedule a free and confidential appointment to learn more about the rights created by Illinois law. This includes the Illinois Nursing Home Care Act, a powerful tool for victims of nursing home abuse and neglect. The compassionate and experienced nursing home abuse lawyers in Springfield, Illinois can answer your questions and advise you on your family’s rights to compensation. They also handle your case in-house, not farming your file off to a new lawyer across the state. There is no upfront cost or financial risk to working with the Noll Law Office either. Learn more about some of the nursing home injuries that they handle and contact them for help today at (217) 414-8889.
What are the Causes of Nursing Home Injuries?
When it comes to accidents in nursing homes, adult care facilities, assisted living homes, or other types of related facilities, there are three general classes of injuries. The class of injuries can dictate the type of injuries that a resident may sustain. The first class of injuries is unavoidable accidents, which can occur to anyone. This includes accidents that there was no warning before it occurred or accidents that are simply not due to anyone’s fault.
The second class of injuries is caused by neglect or sometimes abuse. These needless injuries occur when a healthcare provider, nursing home, or another person or entity acts in an unreasonable or careless manner. Most of these injuries are entirely preventable and avoidable. They include some forms of abuse and most forms of neglect, including nursing home care violations of the Illinois Nursing Home Care Act.
The final class of injuries is caused by intentional conduct. This includes many forms of abuse and some forms of neglect, such as intentionally leaving a resident in a bathtub as “punishment.” Other times the conduct could be criminal, such as assault or sexual offenses. These crimes are heinous and unacceptable anywhere, especially to a vulnerable population. If you or a loved one have suffered any type of injury due to an accident or intentional conduct, even if you think it might have been unavoidable, call the Noll Law Office for a free case evaluation.
Types of Nursing Home Injuries That The Noll Law Office Will Handle
Due to their skill, knowledge, and experience, the nursing home abuse, neglect and malpractice lawyers at the Noll Law Office can handle nearly any type of personal injury case. There are some very specific types of injuries that are unique or more common to nursing homes and adult homes that we handle more often.
Some of the most common types of injuries that we handle include the following:
- Bedsores – also known as pressure sores, any type of bed sore that a resident develops is often a sign of inadequate or improper medical care. Healthcare providers, including nursing home staff, have an obligation to avoid bedsores and to monitor for their warning signs of them. The failure to do so could be negligent and catastrophic. We handle bedsores and can help families fight back against negligent nursing homes, hospitals, or other facilities, and staff that allows bedsores to fester can cause extreme pain or wrongful death.
- Traumatic brain injuries – also known as TBIs, any type of brain injury can be catastrophic for a resident of a nursing home. Even a “mild” TBI can have long-last and disabling effects on a resident’s life, as there is no such thing as a “mild” brain injury. There are many different causes of TBIs, including falls, medication errors, assaults, and other misconduct or negligence in a nursing home.
- Broken Bones – a broken bone in a nursing home is always suspicious. It may be due to inadequate monitoring, assistance, supervision, and fall risk assessment, which could all be a form of nursing home abuse, neglect, or malpractice. This is particularly true of spiral fractures in a nursing home, which are typically a form of abuse or misconduct. That’s because this type of broken bone occurs when a limb (usually an arm) is pulled in one direction, but the internal forces (the muscle) are pulling in the other direction. All broken bones, especially spiral fractures, should be evaluated by a lawyer.
- Infections – nursing homes have many regulations and internal protocols on cleanliness and hygiene. This is not just to prevent normal infections that could occur such as a UTI or yeast infection, but to also guard against outbreaks such as hospital-acquired infections (HAI) like MRSA. When a resident obtains an infection, it should be evaluated by a nursing home malpractice lawyer in Springfield, IL.
- Sepsis or Septic Shock – when an infection continues too long or if an infection is significant, a person may go into septic shock. This is the reaction that a person has to the infection in the body. Although there are some instances where sepsis could occur quickly, many common causes of sepsis in a nursing home are due to the failure to identify and appropriately treat an infection. That means that some residents who get diagnosed with sepsis may have a negligence case.
- Lacerations, cuts, disfigurement, and other similar injuries – lacerations and cuts may be common to most people who are working all day or who are very active, but they are a lot less common to individuals who are sedentary like a resident at a nursing home. This is particularly true of cuts or lacerations on the torso, upper legs, back, buttocks, or areas that are hidden. Any type of unexplained injuries should be evaluated by a lawyer like those at the Noll Law Office.
- Burns – this includes not just direct-heat burns such as from cigarettes or lighters, which are a common sign of nursing home abuse. Rather, it also includes other thermal burns such as “sock burns,” or burns that are caused when a resident is put into a scalding hot bath. These nursing home injuries are at a minimum a sign of neglect or negligence but are sometimes a common cause of abuse. Even a low-grade burn can be devastating, increasing the chance of an infection which could be catastrophic for a resident who is already in a weakened state.
- Joint Separations or Joint Dislocations – particularly the shoulder, any type of joint separation or joint dislocation injury should be reviewed by a nursing home abuse and neglect lawyer. These injuries are commonly caused by falls or abuse, both of which may give a victim the right to recover compensation.
- Wrongful death – the unexpected and unexplained death of a resident in a nursing home may be due to nursing home malpractice, abuse, and neglect which should be reviewed by an experienced nursing home abuse lawyer in Springfield, IL like those at the Noll Law Office.
What Can Victims Recover in Illinois?
Victims and their families may be entitled to recover “damages” for these nursing home injuries in Illinois. The term “damages” is the relief that a party to a legal action may recover. In personal injury actions, such as nursing home abuse or neglect cases, damages are typically awarded as monetary compensation.
There are many different types of damages that a victim and his or her family may recover, including the following:
- Past pain and suffering – measured from the date of the injuries to the date of payment/settlement
- Future pain and suffering – a sum of money from the date of the payment/settlement for the rest of a victim’s life as estimated by an actuary table, by an expert, or agreed by the parties
- Lost future earnings – if an individual is no longer able to work due to nursing home injuries, the lost wages for the rest of the time that the individual is expected to work (not common in nursing home cases, but possible)
- Loss of consortium and society – the law recognizes the relationship that a victim has with his or her spouse, parents, children, siblings, and other dependents, and offers compensation for the loss of normal familial relations and contact, including what is known as “society” which includes watching movies, spending time together, and talking
- Medical bills – for past, current, and reasonably proven future medical bills due to nursing home injuries caused by abuse, neglect, or malpractice
- Wrongful death damages – in certain cases, a family may be able to obtain compensation for burial costs, funeral expenses, and other emotional damages suffered by their loved one and by themselves as a result of the nursing home’s negligence, neglect, abuse, or malpractice,
- Attorneys’ fees and costs – If a person or estate prevails under the Illinois Nursing Home Care Act, they are entitled to an award of attorneys’ fees and costs; and
- Other damages caused by the defendant’s conduct.
Did You Suffer Nursing Home Injuries in Springfield, Illinois? Call Today
If you or a loved one suffered any type of nursing home injury in Springfield or anywhere else throughout Illinois, call the Noll Law Office to schedule a free consultation and case evaluation. The experienced nursing home abuse lawyers there can help answer your questions and get you the answers that you deserve. If you hire them and they accept your case, there is no upfront cost to begin working with them. In fact, there is no financial risk either, as they have a no-win, no-fee guarantee.
To learn more about your rights, contact the Noll Law Offices today by calling (217) 414-8889 or by sending them a message through their “Contact Us” box available here.