Understanding the Legal Implications of Negligence in Bedsore Cases

Negligence in bedsore cases can have significant legal implications. Bedsores, also known as pressure ulcers or decubitus ulcers, are injuries that occur when prolonged pressure or friction damages the skin and underlying tissue.

These types of injuries often occur in nursing homes if the elderly do not receive appropriate care and attention. If your beloved parents or grandparents suffer from bedsores after being placed in a nursing home, you should consider speaking with a bedsore attorney in NYC to begin an investigation.

A bedsore attorney can help you evaluate the specific circumstances of your case, gather evidence, engage appropriate medical experts, and guide you through the legal processes. Here is what you should know about the legal implications of negligence in bedsore cases in NYC:

Duty of Care and Standard of Care

Healthcare providers, including those in hospitals and nursing homes, owe a duty of care to their patients. This includes taking reasonable measures to prevent and manage the development of bedsores in patients who are at risk.

The standard of care refers to the level of care and treatment that a reasonably prudent healthcare provider would provide under similar circumstances to a patient. In bedsore scenarios, the standard of care typically involves implementing appropriate preventive measures, conducting regular assessments, and providing adequate treatment.

Establishing Negligence & Causation

If your beloved relative suffers from bedsores due to a healthcare provider's negligence, you must showcase that they breached their duty of care by failing to meet the applicable standard of care.

In bedsore cases, negligence may involve inadequate repositioning of patients, failure to provide proper nutrition and hydration, inadequate wound care, or insufficient monitoring of patients at risk.

To succeed in a bedsore negligence claim, you must demonstrate that the healthcare provider’s breach of the standard of care was a direct cause of the development or worsening of the bedsores.

Types of Damages You Can Pursue

In bedsore cases, you can seek compensation for various damages, such as medical expenses, pain and suffering, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life. The court may award punitive damages if the healthcare provider’s conduct was particularly willful or egregious.

However, you must abide by New York’s statute of limitations for filing a medical malpractice lawsuit. In most situations, you have only two and a half years from the date of the injury or its discovery to initiate legal action. However, the statute of limitations can be extended in particular cases depending on specific circumstances. Consult with a bedsore attorney to learn more.

Expert Testimony and Comparative Negligence

Expert testimony is often crucial in bedsore cases to establish the standard of care and demonstrate the healthcare provider’s breach of that standard. This is where your bedsore attorney can help by working with medical experts to prove the care provided fell below the accepted standard of care.

In most instances, the at-fault party will try to use New York’s comparative negligence laws to reduce their responsibility and claim the injured party is partially responsible for their bedsore injuries.

However, if you work with an experienced medical malpractice attorney, they can strengthen your case by assessing the available evidence and consulting with medical experts.