Bedsore Attorneys in Portland, OR

Holding Care Facilities Responsible for Neglect

You entrust the health, safety, and well being of your loved one to a nursing home or other care facility.

When the nursing home or other care facility breaks this trust by neglecting its caretaking responsibilities, the consequences can be devastating.

At Pickett Dummigan Weingart, bedsores (pressure ulcers) caused by neglect are one of the most common types of nursing home cases we handle. If your loved one has been neglected and is dealing with pressure sores, talk to us. We have the experience and long-established relationships with doctors, nurses, and other medical experts to successfully represent you and your family.

$500

Thousand

For a family who lost their loved one when a pressure sore became infected, causing sepsis and death.

$175

Thousand

For an individual who suffered a heel ulcer, causing loss of mobility for two years.

$375

Thousand

For a wrongful death where the pressure ulcer contributed to the cause of death.

What Causes Bedsores in Nursing Homes?

A bedsore (pressure ulcer) is an area of skin breakdown that is caused by a person remaining in one position for too long without shifting weight. Care facilities are required to actively prevent this kind of skin breakdown. They are required to assist residents with limited mobility in turning and repositioning. Unrelieved pressure causes skin to lose blood flow to that area and eventually breakdown.

Where Do Bedsores Occur?

Bedsores most commonly occur in areas of the body where bone and skin are very close in contact, including:

  • Coccyx (tail bone)
  • Heels
  • Hips
  • Back
  • Elbows
  • Ankles

Bedsores are not just a painful injury, they are an unacceptable part of a nursing home residency. Left untreated, bedsores can result in sepsis, osteomyelitis, and other serious health issues, including wrongful death.

Other Types of Nursing Home Neglect

In addition to bedsores, falling is another common injury caused by failure to provide the standard of care in nursing homes and in care facility policies and procedures. Although not all falls can be prevented, many falls happen due to errors by nursing staff, insufficient staffing, poor training, and lack of supervision or implementation of policies and procedures to prevent harm. Bedrest is often prescribed after a fall and without proper care, can lead to preventable bedsores and other injury. If you believe your loved one’s falling injury may have been the result of neglect, or that their bedsore was preventable had caretakers taken proper action to prevent them, don’t wait to consult with an attorney to investigate. If neglect occurred and caused harm, you and your family deserve compensation from the wrongdoer, which is often the care facility itself, for lack of training and supervision, not necessarily the individual caretaker.

Why Work with an Attorney?

If your loved one was the victim of nursing home neglect that resulted in bedsores or a falling injury (or both), finding an attorney experienced in these kinds of cases is very important. These cases are complex and the attorney needs to know what to look for and where to find the best nursing and medical expertise specific to the facts in your case. Finding the right attorney to bring your claim is the best way to get justice for you and your family and the compensation you deserve. Compensation will cover things like:

  • Cost of Medical bills and out of pocket expenses
  • Cost of Rehabilitation
  • Emotional pain and suffering
  • Loss of companionship for family members 

At Pickett Dummigan Weingart LLP, our lawyers have litigated hundreds of cases involving neglect by care facilities, like nursing homes and assisted living facilities. We know what experts to consult and we are skilled in winning against tactics used by care facilities to prevent you from getting the compensation you deserve. We are focused on getting the best results for our clients. With attention to every detail, we identify patterns of neglect and other history of violations of federal and state law and regulation. We build strong, compelling, and fact-based claims to hold care facilities responsible for their neglect and abuse. 

What Are Common Causes of Bedsores and Falling Injuries in Nursing Homes?

  • Failure to care plan to prevent falls and skin breakdown
  • Failure to assist in turning and repositioning
  • Improper transfer (example: from bed to wheelchair)
  • Failure to monitor or properly administer medications 
  • Insufficient staffing 
  • Failure to remove trip hazards and spills 
  • Failure to monitor and implement prevention strategies 

 

Quick Answers from Our Attorneys

Q: How do you prove that bedsores were caused by neglect?

To win a bedsore injury claim, you must be able to establish a causal link between the negligence and the injury. This starts by establishing some variation of the following four elements:

  1. Duty of care
  2. Breach of that duty
  3. Causal link between the breach of duty and injury to your loved one
  4. Compensable losses (damages)

R. Brendan Dummigan

 Hear from Our Clients

Excellent client communications, taking the time to educate us and setting realistic expectations. The results exceeded expectations.

-Craig Spiezle

Mr. Dummigan and his staff are very professional and caring. They took a case that no one else would…and put their energy and resources into the case to see it come to a successful close. It was an unfortunate series of events that led me to Mr. Dummigan’s office, but I was thankful for the closure his office brought to my situation.

-Lisa Marie

I could not have asked for a better legal team than all three of you. Thank you again for the time and energy that you and your staff were willing to spend on my behalf, it made these last two years of my life a little more tolerable.

-Sherry Wells

3 Steps to Justice for Your Loved One

If a loved one is being neglected at a nursing home or private care facility and facing bedsores or falling injuries, you and your family may be entitled to compensation for any damages suffered. We’re here to help.

1. Get in Touch 

Fill out our contact form so we can schedule a time to talk.

2. Free Consultation

We’ll listen to your situation and answer any questions.

3. Get Justice

If you have a case, our attorneys will dedicate their full attention to your case.

Remember, we’ll never charge a fee until we win your case.

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A Free Consultation