Whether in New Mexico or elsewhere, the neglect of a patient by nursing home staff can, unfortunately, be fatal. This reportedly occurred in a recent out-of-state case involving a woman who is said to have been poorly treated by medical staff. The alleged nursing home neglect is said to have led to her death.
The executor of the woman’s estate has filed a lawsuit against a medical center, alleging negligence on the part of the center under the Nursing Home Care Act. The executor asserts that the woman suffered a hip fracture back in 2013. Afterward, she was hospitalized and underwent hip replacement surgery. She was then admitted to a care center.
According to the suit, while at the care center, the woman’s right foot was injured following an incident that the medical staff caused while the woman was in a wheelchair. The woman made several trips between the care center and the hospital. She died almost three months after entering the care center, at the age of 87.
As part of the lawsuit alleging wrongful death and negligence, the executor is seeking a jury trial as well as court costs, damages, and attorney fees totaling a minimum of $50,000. People who have lost a loved one to nursing home neglect have the right to file a lawsuit against the care home, pursuing a claim for monetary damages. Likewise, those injured in a nursing home have the right to file a claim for damages against the facility. Claims for damages will be decided by a civil court in New Mexico if liability is satisfactorily established by appropriate evidence.
Source: madisonrecord.com, “Family sues medical center, alleging wrongful death“, Molly English-Bowers, Sept. 8, 2015
