The estate of a Webster, Massachusetts nursing home patient was recently awarded $325,000. The award came after the elderly woman sustained multiple fractures from a wheelchair fall at the Webster Manor Healthcare Center. The fractures were fatal and resulted in a wrongful death claim against the nursing home. The ensuring case, Bruno v. Webster Manner, was heard in front of Judge Dennis Curran in Worcester Superior Court.
Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly reported that the elderly woman was identified as high risk for falls and her care plan required 15-minute check-ins by the nursing home staff and a personal alarm. An expert witness for the plaintiff testified that the nursing home's inadequate care for the resident was to blame for her fall. The jury found there was not enough supervision and the resident's wheelchair should have been equipped with a pressure alarm that would have warned of the accident.
Senior citizens are perhaps the most vulnerable and defenseless demographic in our society. As our senior population continues to grow, many families have trusted nursing homes to provide quality care for their loved ones. Unfortunately, nursing home abuse and neglect is all too common. What is most discouraging, though, is that the majority of nursing home abuse and neglect cases go unreported. Nevertheless, there are both federal and Massachusetts state laws in place to ensure that all nursing home residents are afforded the safe and sanitary living conditions they deserve.
The Massachusetts personal injury lawyers at Bellotti Law Group of Cambridge and Quincy have over 80 years of of legal experience and are skilled at handling Massachusetts nursing home abuse claims. If you or a loved one have been injured, contact us today at 800-334-3476 or use our contact form.
