Losing a loved one due to the negligence of a nursing home, whether in New Mexico or elsewhere, is grounds for litigation. One widow in a recent out-of-state case asserted that her elderly husband died after staying at a particular home for six months. She has filed a wrongful death suit against the corporate owner of the nursing home, alleging nursing home neglect.
According to the lawsuit, the woman’s husband was 86 when he was placed in the nursing home. The facility had a duty to provide the man with the level of care he needed, and the facility had indicated it would do this. However, the man reportedly suffered major injuries, extreme pain, and disfigurement.
During his time in the home, the man is also said to have experienced mental anguish and suffering. The woman claimed that her husband’s health quickly deteriorated as a result of the poor treatment he received. Specifically, the man ended up losing weight and suffered from poor hygiene, falls, pneumonia and fractures, and he eventually died. The woman claimed that the neglect of her husband would not have happened had the nursing home’s corporate officers appropriately responded to the critical nursing staff shortage.
When a nursing facility in New Mexico provides sub-par care to a loved one and the resident ends up losing his or her life, the victim’s surviving family members have the right to take action, seeking compensatory damages. Punitive damages may also be awarded in cases of egregious fault. Competent proof of negligence is needed to establish liability in nursing home neglect cases.
Source: augusta.com, “Corporate owner of Augusta nursing home sued by widow“, Sandy Hodson, March 29, 2016
