Was someone you love a victim of nursing home abuse in St. Petersburg, FL? You trusted the nursing home to keep your loved one safe. You may be entitled to significant compensation if they have failed. An experienced St. Petersburg nursing home abuse lawyer at Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers, can help you fight to recover compensation for medical bills, pain and suffering, and other losses you have endured.
Our team has over 119 years of experience protecting families like yours. Over the years, we’ve helped our injured clients recover the fair compensation they need to recover and move forward.
The thought of taking legal action can be overwhelming. Our lawyers can help. Contact our law offices in St. Petersburg, Florida, at (727) 314-5988 to schedule a free consultation today.
Why Should I Hire Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers, To Handle My St. Petersburg Nursing Home Abuse Case?
Nursing homes rarely admit that they’ve done anything to harm their residents. Similarly, staff members will go to great lengths to avoid admitting wrongdoing. Both the nursing home and the abusive employee can be held liable for damages.
To recover fair compensation, you’ll need an experienced St. Petersburg personal injury attorney who can help prove your case. Our compassionate attorneys at Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers, have the knowledge and tools to succeed.
While you spend time with your loved one, our lawyers can:
- File a lawsuit to stop the abuse immediately
- Gather evidence to prove the abuse occurred
- Determine whether the abuse is a pattern within the facility
- Identify each party who is legally liable for your damages
- Retain experts who can establish the value of your family’s losses
- Handle all insurance negotiations and legal issues that arise
Our St. Petersburg personal injury lawyers are passionate about holding people accountable for their wrongful and negligent acts. We’re here to help throughout the entire legal process, so give us a call today.
Is Nursing Home Abuse Common in St. Petersburg?
Nursing home abuse is shockingly common. Roughly 10% of all nursing home residents are impacted by nursing home abuse.
In fact, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), two out of every three nursing home staff members admit to committing abuse at some point in the previous year.
Nursing Home Abuse Can Occur in Different Ways
There are many different types of nursing home abuse. Nursing home abuse occurs when someone mistreats a resident and causes them to suffer some type of harm. That harm can be physical or emotional.
Our lawyers in St. Petersburg handle all types of nursing home abuse cases, including those involving:
- Physical abuse
- Emotional or psychological abuse
- Sexual abuse
- Financial exploitation
- Nursing home neglect
In some cases, residents suffer more than one type of abuse while living in an assisted living facility.
Physical Abuse
It’s never acceptable for nursing home employees to physically harm a resident. Hitting, kicking, slapping, and punching are all obvious examples of physical abuse. The improper use of restraints can also amount to physical abuse.
Some signs of nursing home abuse include:
- Unexplained bruising or injuries
- Frequent fall injuries
- Marks around the hands or wrists
- Fear of nursing home staff
- Nursing home staff that refuses to leave you alone with your loved one
It’s important to take steps to stop this abuse quickly. Physical abuse can also have serious emotional consequences for the victim, who may become depressed or develop anxiety disorders.
Emotional and Psychological Abuse
Emotional abuse can be tough to prove. On the other hand, it can also cause significant long-term consequences for the victim.
Some examples of emotional abuse include:
- Belittling or humiliating a resident
- Forced isolation
- Intimidation and threats
- Withholding food, water, or medical treatment
- Intentionally embarrassing a resident in front of others
Nursing home residents are often reluctant to report emotional abuse. However, emotional abuse is extremely common. Signs that your loved one has been a victim of emotional abuse include changes in behavior, becoming withdrawn, depression, or even being reluctant to speak around certain staff members.
Sexual Abuse
Nursing home residents can be especially vulnerable to sexual abuse. Sexual abuse can involve forcing the resident to engage in unwanted sexual behavior or forcing the resident to watch sexual acts.
Financial Exploitation
Financial abuse can have serious consequences. It can put your loved one in an unstable financial position. It can also cause severe depression and emotional suffering.
Financial exploitation can include:
- Theft of property or funds
- Misappropriation of government benefits
- Identity theft, including opening credit cards in the victim’s name
- Coercing a resident to change a will or beneficiary designations on retirement accounts
Nursing home residents often suffer from cognitive disorders and memory loss. They might not even realize that financial abuse is occurring. If you suspect your loved one has been a victim of financial abuse, contact our law firm for a free case review today. We’ll do everything we can to hold the responsible parties liable.
Nursing Home Neglect
Nursing home neglect is the failure to provide a resident with adequate care. Nursing home negligence can be active or passive. Often, nursing home neglect occurs because the nursing home is understaffed.
Examples of neglect include:
- Failure to provide food, water, or medications
- Failure to properly supervise vulnerable residents
- Failure to make sure residents with limited mobility are moved regularly
- Allowing residents with memory challenges to wander off
Bed sores, unexplained weight loss, and unexplained injuries are all signs that your loved one may be neglected in the nursing home.
Who Can Be Liable for Nursing Home Abuse?
Before taking legal action, it’s important to understand that someone other than the abusive party can be held legally responsible for your damages. Typically, the nursing home itself will be liable for allowing the abuse to happen. These cases are based on negligence.
Negligence means:
- The nursing home or at-fault party owed you a legal duty of care
- They breached the duty of care
- The breach allowed the abuse to occur
- The abuse caused the damages your family has suffered
Nursing home staff members are employed by the nursing home itself. The facility can be held liable for the acts of its employees under Florida state vicarious liability laws.
How Much Is My St. Petersburg Nursing Home Abuse Case Worth?
Victims of nursing home abuse are entitled to file a personal injury lawsuit for compensation. Typically, that will first mean filing a claim with the nursing home’s insurance company.
Before you take a settlement, it’s important to know how much your personal injury case is worth.
- Your family’s pain and suffering
- The type of harm your loved one suffered
- The cost of medical treatment and other expenses incurred due to the abuse
- The nature of the at-fault party’s acts
- The identity of the responsible party
Our St. Petersburg nursing home abuse attorneys at Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers, can help you assess the damages you have incurred because of the abuse. Often, we’ll bring in specialists who can help put a dollar value on losses such as depression, humiliation, and emotional distress.
Victims of Nursing Home Abuse in St. Petersburg Can Seek Compensation for Their Injuries
Damages are classified as economic or non-economic damages.
The economic, or financial, costs that you may seek compensation for may include:
- Past and future medical expenses
- The cost of relocating to a safe facility
- Your lost income if you miss time at work to care for your loved one
- Physical therapy
- Restitution in cases involving financial abuse
- Out-of-pocket expenses
- Funeral costs if the abuse resulted in wrongful death
Your non-financial, or non-economic, losses may include:
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Anxiety, depression, and PTSD
- Embarrassment
- Fear
- Scarring or disfigurement
- Reduced life expectancy
You can count on our lawyers to document your damages and fight for every dollar you deserve.
Why Does Nursing Home Abuse Happen in St. Petersburg, Florida?
Nursing home abuse can happen for many different reasons. It’s important to identify the reason that the nursing home abuse occurred to hold the responsible parties liable.
Nursing home abuse often occurs because of:
- Unqualified staff members
- Failure to properly screen and supervise nursing home employees
- Medical malpractice
- Understaffed facilities
- Outdated technology
- Unsanitary conditions
- Poor management and oversight
- Negligent security
Nursing homes have a duty to provide reasonably safe conditions. That includes providing oversight to prevent abuse from occurring.
You Have a Limited Amount of Time To File a Nursing Home Abuse Lawsuit in Florida
Under Florida law, injured parties have two years from the date the injury occurs to file a nursing home abuse lawsuit in most cases. In instances involving ongoing abuse, you have two years from the date of the last abusive event to take legal action.
Contact a St. Petersburg Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer for a Free Consultation
Do you suspect your loved one has been a victim of nursing home abuse? Don’t hesitate to reach out to Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers, for immediate assistance. An experienced St. Petersburg nursing home abuse lawyer can take steps to keep your loved one safe and pursue full compensation from all responsible parties.