Personal Injury Lawyers Representing Aging Residents and Their Families

As the population ages, more and more people enter nursing homes each year. Data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services revealed approximately 1.4 million nursing home residents in 2011. Unfortunately, nursing home negligence is a common problem across the United States. A 2015 report by the government entitled “Adverse Events in Skilled Nursing Facilities: National Incidence Among Medicare Beneficiaries” identified several problems that are present in nursing homes. The report found that 37 percent of events arose from negligent monitoring of a patient’s care, 25 percent of avoidable adverse medical events occurred because required treatment was not provided, and 14 percent of medical errors were due to mistakes in medical judgment. A nursing home negligence attorney in the Baltimore area can help assert your rights after any of these incidents.

When a nursing home provides substandard medical care that causes injuries to a resident, the nursing home may be liable for medical malpractice. Medical malpractice occurs in a nursing home when an injury or death is caused by a nursing home’s failure to use the level of care that another nursing home would have followed in the same or similar circumstances. For instance, if a nursing home resident suffered serious harm because that resident was given medication to which they were known to be allergic, the nursing home would likely be liable for malpractice. This is because a nursing home using the appropriate level of care would be vigilant in not giving residents medication that might trigger their allergies, understanding the risk of harm associated with such a mistake.

Our Baltimore nursing home negligence attorneys know the strict timeline for medical malpractice and other personal injury claims. Typically, a patient must file a medical malpractice claim in civil court within five years from the date of the injury or within three years from when the injury was discovered, whichever is earlier. If you do not file your medical malpractice lawsuit within this time, you could lose your right to take legal action altogether. This makes it important to retain legal counsel who promptly complies with procedural rules.