Many families make the difficult decision to place a loved one in the care of a skilled nursing home. While nursing homes can be safe residences for seniors with special care and nursing needs, staff negligence and a lack of proper training can also lead to resident injuries.
Burns are some of the most common causes of injuries in nursing homes. Injury is far more likely when a facility lacks proper safety rules or fails to monitor residents. The recovery from a burn injury of any degree can be expensive and emotionally challenging.
When you and your family are forced to deal with nursing home abuse or neglect, the Nursing Home Law Center is here for you.
Burn injuries in a nursing home can arise due to various causes. Several potential hazards throughout nursing homes can cause burns.
Thermal burns are skin injuries caused by contact with excessive heat or fire hazards. These might include scalding from hot liquids, contact burns from hot surfaces or chemical burns from unsafe products.
Electrical burns occur when electricity flows through the body, usually after touching a live wire or faulty appliance. Contact with unsafe electrical outlets can also lead to electrical burns. An electrical burn can be described as high or low voltage, which primarily refers to the level of electricity that causes the burn.
Some burn injuries are surface-level, leading to minimal pain and discomfort. Others, however, are more severe burns that can leave the resident with significant pain and suffering. Nursing home burns are typically classified as one of the following:
Nursing homes are designed to provide your loved one with around-the-clock supervision, and if staff fail to do this, it can lead to injury, including burns. Nursing home residents may suffer severe burns due to many causes, including the following.
Families will usually make the tough decision to move a loved one to a nursing home for the extra supervision it offers. However, when staff members are neglectful with their supervision and care, it can lead to severe injuries, including burn injuries.
Neglectful supervision may include staff members leaving nursing home residents unsupervised near hot liquids or objects. Failing to assist a nursing home resident with showers or baths could also lead to a burn injury. Improper use of heating pads or other heat devices could lead to an injury.
A nursing home requires sufficient staffing to properly care for and supervise its residents. Nursing homes that fail to provide ample staff are at an increased risk of nursing home neglect because residents may not receive the assistance necessary.
Inadequate staffing makes it challenging for staff members to respond promptly to emergencies. Nursing home fires are more likely when there isn’t sufficient staff to promote a safe nursing home environment.
Proper care of nursing residents requires specialized training. When a nursing home fails to train its staff properly, neglect and resident injury are more likely to occur. Proper staff training includes first aid and burn prevention. First aid training will reduce the risk of further injury, while burn prevention ensures staff knows how to remove hazards.
A nursing home resident who suffered severe burns may experience both physical and psychological consequences. Elderly burn victims may suffer from the following impacts.
The physical consequences of burn injuries may include severe pain and discomfort, temporary or permanent scarring and disfigurement, or infection. Burn injury victims may experience impaired mobility, which increases the risk of long-term complications. A burn injury can also exacerbate other medical conditions, such as mobility issues.
The emotional and psychological effects of a burn injury can be just as life-changing. Burn injury victims may experience anxiety and trauma due to the severe injuries. Depression and withdrawal are common, especially if the resident suffers second or third-degree burns.
A loss of independence can make burn injuries more challenging to deal with. A decreased quality of life is also possible with burns of all types.
Pursuing legal action following a burn injury may not take away the pain and suffering that the elderly person has had to endure, but it can help to recover compensation.
Through settlement negotiations, you and your loved one can hold the nursing home accountable for their neglect and receive financial assistance to access recovery resources. The funds collected can help you and your family cover medical expenses and rehabilitation.
Additionally, alerting the proper authorities and seeking financial compensation through a personal injury case can help illuminate a dangerous situation, hopefully protecting other residents.
Your loved one has a right to a safe environment and proper care and supervision. When nursing homes are neglectful, the injured residents have a legal right to financial compensation for injuries. Whether the facility ignored dangerous fire hazards or was neglectful in monitoring shower water, we help families explore their legal rights.
Our legal team helps nursing home residents and their families hold neglectful nursing facilities accountable. Our personal injury attorneys aim to build your nursing home burn injury case based on negligence, medical malpractice, premises liability, or product liability laws.
A negligence case may be brought when there is evidence of a failure to provide residents with reasonable care to prevent burns. In medical malpractice cases, a healthcare provider is responsible for worsening the resident’s burn, usually due to improper or prolonged medical treatment.
Premises liability cases cover unsafe nursing home conditions, including exposed wires or improper safety protocols, that could lead to a resident’s burn injury. Product liability cases can also occur when an unsafe or defective product burns a resident.
Each case is different, meaning the legal process we take will vary depending on the details of your case. However, if a loved one suffered burn injuries due to neglectful nursing home staff, you may be entitled to financial recovery.
Choosing the right legal representation is crucial when navigating a nursing home burn injury case. Here are a few reasons to consider the Nursing Home Law Center.
The Nursing Home Law Center has a proven track record in elderly and resident burn injury cases. We have helped multiple parties hold negligent nursing home staff accountable while recovering compensation to cover their damages appropriately. Our experienced team has in-depth expertise in elder law and personal injury cases throughout the United States.
We maintain professional connections, including medical experts and investigators who can help build a strong case. With a contingency fee basis, there’s no risk to you. You have enough going on when dealing with a loved one’s recovery, and our team is here to help alleviate some of the burden.
Finding out that a loved one has been the victim of nursing home abuse or neglect is extremely difficult. Each personal injury attorney you will work with at the Nursing Home Law Center offers compassionate, client-focused representation.
Our firm is committed to seeking justice through sufficient compensation. We’re here for you and your family members every step of the way, providing you with legal support and resources.
If your loved one was the victim of a nursing home burn injury, you must take a few key steps, including the following:
You entrust the care and supervision of your loved one to the nursing home staff, so when your loved one suffers a severe burn, it can be difficult. Whether your loved one sustained burns from scalding food, a too-hot shower water accident, or faulty wires, you need a dedicated legal representative on your side.
Contact a nursing home burn injury lawyer today at (800) 926-7565 for a free consultation.