Pennsylvania Nursing Home Settles in Bedsore Wrongful Death Lawsuit:
The Gardens at Scranton nursing home has a recent history of nursing home malpractice lawsuits in which wrongful death from bed sores has been alleged.
A Pennsylvania nursing home has settled in a wrongful death lawsuit alleging a resident died from a severe bedsore she developed while in the home’s care, says a Yahoo News article. The Gardens at Scranton nursing home has agreed to a $330,000 settlement of a lawsuit brought by Harry E. Stoffers, Jr., in connection with the 2018 death of his wife, Kathleen Stoffers.
According to the article, Kathleen Stoffers allegedly developed a serious bed sore within a month of being admitted to The Gardens at Scranton in March of 2018, leading to an infection that required emergency surgery. The bedsore had deteriorated to such a degree that bone was exposed and the wound emitted a foul smell. Stoffers died on June 5, 2018, leading her husband to secure a wrongful death attorney and file a lawsuit in 2020.
The suit alleges that Stoffers had a skin condition that made her high risk for developing bedsores and that the nursing home was aware of this condition; nevertheless, no measures were taken to mitigate her risk of sustaining a bed sore. In a display of neglect that amounts to nursing home malpractice, the nursing home staff failed both to closely monitor Stoffers’s condition and to regularly reposition her.
Bedsores, also known as pressure ulcers, decubitus ulcers, or pressure sores, commonly occur in nursing homes when residents are left in the same position for long periods of time. Failing to frequently reposition residents—especially residents who are predisposed to developing pressure sores—in beds, chairs, or wheelchairs, is an act of negligence that equals nursing home malpractice.
Bedsores that are not immediately detected and treated can rapidly deteriorate into serious pressure ulcers. This is especially the case for residents with skin conditions that make them high risk for pressure sores, like Kathleen Stoffers. Deteriorating bedsores can progress through a number of bedsore stages, with each stage becoming progressively more serious. When nursing home neglect contributes to the development of serious late stage bed sores, a nursing home malpractice or wrongful death attorney should be notified. Stoffers’s pressure ulcer as described in the article is consistent with a Stage IV bedsore, which is defined as a bedsore that is deep enough to have exposed muscle, tendons, or bone and has extensive necrosis (skin tissue rotting). Stage IV bed sores are also highly prone to infection, which was the case with Stoffers. Any nursing home infection can become serious or deadly, and infections which have developed as a result of nursing home neglect may require the intervention of a nursing home malpractice or wrongful death attorney on behalf of the patient and his or her family.
According to the article, Stoffers’s wrongful death lawsuit is one of three bedsore death lawsuits that have been filed against The Gardens at Scranton since 2018.
Experienced Bed Sore Attorney Fighting Nursing Home Neglect and Wrongful Death
Attorney Brian P. Murphy works untiringly to ensure negligent Philadelphia/PA and NJ nursing homes are held responsible for preventable bed sores and any act of negligence or abuse that amounts to nursing home malpractice. As a seasoned nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, Brian Murphy dedicates himself to upholding the rights of nursing home residents and fighting for their health and safety in Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, or New Jersey nursing homes. Should you find yourself needing to contact a nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, call Brian Murphy today to discuss your legal options.
