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What You Must Know About Nursing Home Wrongful Death


— November 17, 2020

Wrongful death lawyers have experience and can guide you throughout the process. They will take care of all documents and paperwork, and you don’t have to stress out while being in emotional turmoil due to the loss of your beloved.


Abuse, negligence, and poor condition can claim the lives of patients in a nursing home. Wrongful deaths are a big concern, and families must know how to take action to get justice and prevent others from a similar fate.

Wrongful death in nursing home can claim the lives of many of America’s beloved elderly people. Here in this blog, we tell you how to identify your grievance and what to do next.

What is a nursing home wrongful death?

When an elderly nursing home resident dies due to any kind of negligence of the employees or administrators, it is considered a wrongful death. Such unfortunate tragedies claim the lives of many who could have otherwise lived longer.

When an elderly dies in a nursing home, their family never expects that to happen in the nursing home to be responsible. Sometimes, this is the reason.

What is included as wrongful death in a nursing home?

  • Abuse
  • Injuries
  • Failure to intervene in resident-on-resident violence
  • Medication errors
  • Neglect health care needs

So, what to do if you recognize yourself as related to a victim of such an awful incident?

Elderly woman covering her face; image by Cristian Newman, via Unsplash.com.
Elderly woman covering her face; image by Cristian Newman, via Unsplash.com.

You can opt for legal options. You can hire a lawyer, discuss the case, file a lawsuit against the nursing home and its staff, and get financial compensation.

There are benefits you may expect from a nursing home wrongful death lawsuit:

  1. Compensation to pay medical and funeral expenses.
  1. Help the nursing home to enact changes to ensure the safety of other residents. 
  1. Hold the facility responsible for the wrongful death.
  1. Circulate state or national headlines to create awareness on the issue.

Certain injuries related to negligence, which lead to an elderly’s death, can become a wrongful death lawsuit. Families can file lawsuits against nursing homes and the companies that own them.

Who can sue for wrongful death?

The nest kin to the senior citizen can file a nursing home wrongful death lawsuit. Based on the situation, other loved ones may also use the facility.

People who can file a lawsuit:

  1. Family members in the close circle, including spouses and children, can file a death lawsuit in any state. In some states, financial dependents, partners, and putative or common-law spouses may file wrongful death claims.
  1. In some states, siblings, cousins, and other relatives can file a lawsuit on behalf of the deceased.
  1. If someone has faced economic loss due to wrongful death, they can also file a lawsuit without being directly related to the victim. This includes adopted children or the person’s estate manager.

Regulations affecting nursing home wrongful death lawsuits vary among states. Therefore, it is good to discuss with an attorney to understand more about the laws.

Final words

If you find your loved ones a victim of negligence or abuse in a nursing home, you can take a legal approach. The incidence of wrongful death in nursing home is rising, and taking a step will assure others’ safety and create awareness at the same time.

Wrongful death lawyers have experience and can guide you throughout the process. They will take care of all documents and paperwork, and you don’t have to stress out while being in emotional turmoil due to the loss of your beloved. They are specialized in cases where innocent elderly people suffer serious injuries due to whatever reason during their stay in the facility.

If you don’t file a lawsuit, that would be a mistake as you won’t get compensated. Filing a lawsuit by yourself can be tiring, confusing, and very challenging. 

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