As the victim of abuse or neglect at a nursing home or assisted living facility in Dundalk, Maryland, you or your loved one have rights. Call WGK Personal Injury Lawyers for help making things right. Our experienced Dundalk nursing home abuse lawyers can help you take action and fight for the compensation you need and deserve.
WGK Personal Injury Lawyers has been a trusted name in nursing home injury litigation in Baltimore County since 1977. Collectively, our award-winning Maryland trial attorneys have over 100 years of experience taking on powerful corporations and winning big for deserving clients like you.
We’ve forced nursing homes, insurance companies, and other powerful adversaries to pay our clients tens of millions in monetary awards. Now, we’re here to fight for you. Contact our law office in Dundalk, MD, at (410) 970-3080 today to get started. Your initial case evaluation is free.
How WGK Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help If Somone You Love Has Been Abused at a Dundalk, MD Nursing Home
You know that your loved one was abused or neglected while under the care of a nursing home in Dundalk, Maryland. But, how do you prove it?
What evidence will you need? Who, specifically, can be liable for all of your resulting costs and trauma? How much is your Dundalk nursing home abuse case worth?
Don’t struggle to figure out the answers to these (and other) tough questions on your own. Give yourself the time you need to focus on getting better, and let our Dundalk personal injury lawyers handle the rest.
At WGK Personal Injury Lawyers, we’re a family-run personal injury law firm. When victims of unspeakable acts of violence and neglect turn to us for help, they become family, too. We’ll help you stand up to the nursing home and abusive caretakers, fighting to get you every cent you need to move forward from this traumatic time in your life.
Count on us to:
- Launch a prompt investigation into your allegations of abuse and/or neglect
- Evaluate medical records, incident reports, nursing home policies and procedures, staffing records, staff files and reports, photographs, video footage, and other evidence
- Depose nursing home staff and employees, nursing home residents, nursing home administrators, doctors and therapists, and other parties who might have insight into your case
- Consult expert witnesses as we build and value your legal claim for damages
- Handle settlement negotiations with the nursing home and its insurance company on your behalf
- Offer support and guidance when it’s time for you to decide whether or not to accept any settlement offers you receive
- Bring your nursing home abuse lawsuit to a Baltimore County, MD, jury, if necessary
You have one opportunity to hold the nursing home accountable. Make the most of it by putting our award-winning Dundalk nursing home abuse attorneys in your corner.
We advocate for our clients on a contingency fee basis. You pay nothing unless we win money for you or your family. Call us to learn more.
How Common Is Nursing Home Abuse?
We trust nursing homes to take care of our aging and disabled family members. Unfortunately, nursing homes aren’t always safe.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), two out of three nursing home staff members surveyed admitted to having abused or neglected a resident.
Psychological abuse is the most common, accounting for nearly one out of three cases. Physical abuse is second, totaling roughly 9 percent of all instances of nursing home abuse.
What’s Considered Nursing Home Abuse?
Nursing home abuse occurs when a resident is injured or killed because of the intentionally harmful or negligent actions of a caretaker.
Abuse involves much more than physically assaulting or hitting residents. In addition to physical nursing home abuse, other types include emotional/psychological abuse, sexual abuse, financial abuse, and neglect.
Physical Abuse
Physical abuse, which accounts for nearly one out of every 10 cases of nursing home abuse, can involve:
- Hitting
- Pushing
- Shoving
- Pulling hair
Victims of physical nursing home abuse may exhibit physical signs of injury, including bruising, cuts and lacerations, and bleeding. However, that’s not always the case. If you suspect that a family member is being physically abused at their Dundalk nursing home, ask to have them checked out by a medical professional immediately. Internal trauma can be catastrophic, especially if it’s not caught right away.
Psychological/Emotional Abuse
Residents can be psychologically abused when caretakers:
- Isolate the resident from other residents and/or friends and family members
- Refuse to allow the resident to speak with family
- Threaten the resident with physical violence
- Tease the resident
- Intentionally withhold necessary food, water, or medication
- Yell at the resident
Psychological trauma can cause residents to withdraw and isolate themselves from their loved ones and other residents. Signs of emotional abuse can also include depression, anxiety, fearfulness (especially around caretakers), and insomnia.
Sexual Abuse
Nursing home residents aren’t always safe from unwanted sexual contact or being forced to watch sexual activities unfold.
Examples of sexual abuse in nursing homes include:
- Forcing residents to have sex or engage in sexual activities, either with a caretaker or other residents, or
- Forcing residents to watch others engage in sexual activities.
Research suggests that about one percent of all claims of nursing home abuse involve sexual abuse.
Financial Abuse
The elderly are often prime targets of financial exploitation and abuse. Elderly nursing home residents are no exception. In fact, they may be more vulnerable than other elderly adults.
Examples of financial abuse include:
- Identity theft
- Misappropriating resident funds
- Stealing or using a resident’s credit cards
Take immediate action if you notice unusual activities on your loved one’s financial accounts. If they’ve been the victim of financial abuse, you can sue to recover the money they’ve lost, as well as other related damages.
Nursing Home Neglect
Abuse doesn’t have to be the result of intentionally harmful actions. Abuse can also involve neglect, which occurs when a caretaker fails to meet the needs of a resident.
Neglect can include:
- Abandonment
- Isolation
- Failing to move a resident to prevent pressure ulcers
- Refusing to help a patient move, knowing that they’re a fall risk
- Withholding food and water
- Failing to provide appropriate medical care and treatment
- Failing to check on residents regularly
If your family member has been abused or neglected at a nursing home in Dundalk, call WGK Personal Injury Lawyers. We can help you hold the facility fully accountable for the harm they’ve caused.
Types of Dundalk Nursing Home Abuse Claims We Handle
Nursing home abuse can take many forms. Our nursing home abuse attorneys in Dundalk are here to help you fight back.
Our law firm handles all types of nursing home abuse cases, including:
- Bed sores
- Slip and fall accidents
- Abandonment
- Dehydration
- Malnutrition
- Choking
- Medication errors
- Medical negligence
- Bed rail entrapment
- Sexual assault
- Wandering
- Catastrophic injuries, including brain injury, broken bones, burn injury, amputation, and spinal cord injury
- Wrongful death
You have one shot at holding the nursing facility responsible for your loved one’s injuries. Make the most of it by putting a top-rated team of litigators with over a century of experience in your corner. Contact our nursing home abuse lawyers in Dundalk to discuss the details of your case today.
What Types of Damages Can Be Awarded to a Victim of Nursing Home Abuse in Dundalk?
Compensatory damages, including both economic and non-economic awards, can be paid to a plaintiff in a successful nursing home abuse lawsuit.
Our Dundalk nursing home abuse attorneys will help you fight to get money for:
- Hospitalization, medication, medical devices, and other current medical bills
- Expenses related to rehabilitation and ongoing medical treatment
- Restitution for stolen property and other losses caused by financial abuse
- Disability
- Out-of-pocket expenses, such as the cost of transferring to a new assisted living facility or nursing home in Dundalk
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Reduced quality of life
- Loss of consortium
- Disfigurement and scarring
A jury could also award punitive damages if there’s evidence that the nursing home’s conduct was intentional or grossly negligent.
How Long Do I Have To File a Nursing Home Abuse Lawsuit in Maryland?
You’ll typically have three years to file a nursing home abuse lawsuit against a nursing home, certified nursing assistant (CNA), medical professional, or other liable party in the State of Maryland.
The statute of limitations applies to all nursing home abuse cases resulting in personal injury or wrongful death.
Once the deadline expires, you will no longer have the right to file a claim and hold the nursing facility responsible for their negligent and/or harmful actions.
Schedule a Free Consultation With an Experienced Dundalk Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer
Call WGK Personal Injury Lawyers if you or a loved one has experienced abuse in a nursing home in Dundalk, Maryland. You have rights, and our Dundalk nursing home abuse lawyers can help you fight back.
Our law firm has helped injured residents and grieving families in Dundalk and across Baltimore County, MD, for more than five decades. Now, we’re here to help you.
