Bedsore Lawsuit

Thousands of bedsore lawsuits have been filed against hospitals and nursing homes on behalf of patients who were injured or died after developing pressure sores and ulcers.

What You Can Do & How We Can Help

The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Bedsore injury and wrongful death cases in all 50 states. If you or a family member got a bedsore in a hospital, nursing home, or other healthcare facility, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Bedsore Injury & Wrongful Death Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.

What is a Bedsore?

A bedsore is an injury to the skin and underlying tissue that can develop when a person is in a wheelchair or bed for long periods of time. The skin and soft tissues press against a harder surface, which reduces blood-flow. Over time, the sustained lack of blood-circulation causes tissue damage or death.

What is the Risk?

Bedsores can take weeks or months to heal. They can easily become infected, which can quickly escalate into a life-threatening case of sepsis (bloodstream infection) — especially for people with underlying health issues that weaken their immune system.

Bedsores are also commonly called “pressure ulcers” or “pressure sores.” The medical terminology for this type of skin injury is a decubitus ulcer. The worst types of bedsores (grades 3 and 4) occur in about 4% of elderly people in institutions.

Who Is Most At Risk?

Bedsores are most common in people who are immobilized in a bed or wheelchair for long periods of time, and unable to independently move their body adequately to prevent bedsores from developing.

These people are usually under around-the-clock care from doctors and nurses in a hospital, nursing home, or long-term care facility. Problems with short-staffing and medical neglect at these facilities can result in ongoing problems with bedsores.

What Are Caregivers Supposed to Do?

Caregivers are supposed to move patients at routine intervals to prevent bedsores. When moving patients, it is crucial to check for bedsores and identify areas of the body with poor circulation.

If a patient has early symptoms of a bedsore, caregivers are supposed to take steps to improve circulation and prevent it from getting worse.

Caregivers can reposition the patient more frequently, use cushions to relieve pressure, support the patient in a better position, change diapers or bedding more often to prevent issues with moisture and wetness, and gently wash the affected area to keep it clean and dry.

Where Do Bedsores Usually Develop?

Bedsores are most likely to develop in areas where the bones are close to the skin, so bedsore checks commonly include:

Heels and ankles
Hips
Spine and tailbone
Elbows
Shoulders and shoulder blades
Back of the head or ears
Behind the knees

When Family Members Ask “Why Did This Happen?”

When a loved one in a hospital or nursing home develops a bedsore, or dies due to a bedsore that become infected, family members will ask why? The reality is that many bedsores are the result of neglect.

Bedsores are a common health issue for people with limited mobility. Every year, more than 2.5 million people in the U.S. develop bedsores — but these injuries do not have to be deadly.

Tragically, many of the worst cases of bedsores are due to medical neglect and understaffing. Stage 3 or 4 bedsores are some of the most painful and horrific examples of medical neglect.

Examples of Medical Neglect

These life-threatening bedsores are usually preventable, and occur in vulnerable patients who are not receiving proper care. For example:

Failing to reposition an immobile person frequently enough.
Leaving a patient who is unable to use the bathroom in a soiled diaper or wet bedding, resulting in moisture from sweat, urine (pee), or stool (poop) causing damage to the skin.
Not checking the skin for poor circulation, or taking steps to improve circulation when early warning signs appear.
Lack of adequate nutrition and hydration.
Unsanitary conditions (failing to keep resident clean and dry).
Ignoring early signs of pressure injuries.
Failing to treat a small bedsore until it heals, delaying treatment until the bedsore worsens.
Poor wound care for patients with Stage 3 or 4 bedsores.

Bedsore (Pressure Ulcer) Symptoms and Stages

Bedsores progress through several stages, including:

Stage 1 Bedsore: Skin is intact but red or pink. No open wound.
Stage 2 Bedsore: The skin has a partial-thickness wound, with a red or pink base. There may be an open blister, shallow crater, or abrasion.
Stage 3 Bedsore: The skin has a full-thickness sore, subcutaneous fat is visible, and there may be undermining tissue loss.
Stage 4 Bedsore: The most serious type of bedsore, penetrating all three layers of skin, with exposed muscles, tendons, or bones. High risk of infection, sepsis, amputation, and death.

Do I Qualify to File a Lawsuit?

Thousands of bedsore lawsuits are filed against nursing homes and hospitals every year. There are many horrific examples of bedsore lawsuits against nursing homes — such as a woman who developed a maggot-infested bedsore on her heel, or a man who died of a bedsore infection after being left in adult diapers for extended periods of time, and many more.

Do I Qualify for a Bedsore Lawsuit?

Our lawyers may be able to help you file a bedsore lawsuit if you meet certain criteria, such as:

You (or your loved one) was diagnosed with a bedsore, pressure ulcer, pressure wound, or decubitus ulcer
Bedsore caused a serious injury or death
Bedsore occurred in a hospital, nursing home, or other healthcare facility
OR — Bedsore occurred at home when the patient was under the care of a physician, nurse, or other healthcare professional

How Can a Lawsuit Help?

Bedsore lawsuits are very common. Every case is unique, and there is never a guarantee that a bedsore lawsuit will end in a payout for the victim (or family members). However, these lawsuits can end in multi-million dollar awards, with some settlements and verdicts reaching over $10 million.

What Do These Lawsuits Claim?

Bedsore lawsuits are not like a typical medical malpractice lawsuit. Lawyers commonly blame the bedsore injury on deeper issues at the institution, rather than the actions of a specific doctor or employee.

Bedsores are preventable, and lawsuits often claim they occurred due to underlying issues at the institution, such as:

Chronic under-staffing
Staff were not trained to provide proper care
Inadequate supervision of staff
Lack of proper hygiene and patient care
Malnutrition or dehydration
Unsanitary conditions

Bedsore Lawsuits Can Be Filed by Loved Ones

Family members may also accuse the institution of charging exorbitant prices for care, while failing to fully inform the family about the severity of the bedsore. In many tragic cases, families were completely unaware of serious problems with the care their loved one was receiving — until it was too late for the family to do anything about it.

Do I Have a Bedsore Lawsuit?

Attention Lawyers: We consider a referral from another law firm to be one of the greatest compliments. If your firm is interested in referring us a case or for us to send you a list of previous award judgments and/or average referral fees, please visit the Lawyer Referral section of our website.