Helping the most helpless, Colucci, Colucci & Marcus, P.C., has provided exceptional legal representation since 1995. As dedicated attorneys at an established personal injury law firm, we are aware of the skepticism that many people hold toward injury lawyers. Happily, this skepticism rarely manifests in cases involving handling nursing home negligence and abuse. We are ready to assist you when you need a talented personal injury lawyer in Boston, MA.
The elderly and the infirm are among the most vulnerable in our society and even the most skeptical jurors still look at this population sympathetically. There are few things that will evoke sadness, compassion, and empathy such as an injury to a helpless individual. We at Colucci, Colucci & Marcus, P.C. remain dedicated to vigorously fighting for all those who can no longer fight for themselves. If you or a loved one need legal help regarding injuries sustained in a nursing home or other care facility, schedule a consultation with a Boston nursing home abuse attorney today.
Cases We Handle
We provide legal representation for all types of nursing home negligence issues, including:
- Nursing Home Injuries
- Nursing Home Abuse
- Nursing Home Medical Errors
- Nursing Home Neglect
Don’t Accept Substandard Care in a Nursing Home
Our attorneys have handled hundreds of nursing home injury and wrongful death cases. Some of these cases involve situations where a resident has suffered abuse that could be sexual, physical, or emotional in nature. Neglect, whether because of inadequate staffing or another reason, is an additional form of abuse that can result in residents not even receiving the most basic care. Further, residents can suffer physical harm if they’re not rotated in the bed regularly, making them susceptible to bedsores or pressure ulcers. It is our position that, with precious few exceptions, no resident at a nursing home or assisted living facility should ever have bedsores or pressure ulcers. We believe that the grave majority of these are actionable and per se events of negligence.
Residents who are not properly supervised sometimes wander off, or fall and break a bone. These types of negligence cases don’t only occur in nursing home settings, they can also happen in an assisted living facility, or in situations where a person needs a home health aide. Sometimes doctors even fail to properly diagnose patients, or fail to treat them once they are diagnosed. Even with a correct diagnosis, errors in prescribing or administering medications can cause serious harm. Our firm understands the betrayal that occurs when your loved one has been harmed by the very people entrusted with his/her care. Our Boston nursing home abuse attorneys endeavor always to hold the responsible parties accountable for their actions and aggressively seek justice on behalf of our clients.
We Value Every Human Life
Often, an adult child of an injured nursing home resident walks through our door following a frustrating meeting with another law firm that denied the case because the parent was “too old.” While it is true that age can have a negative effect on a claim, we believe that every life has value and that every family deserves caring and committed legal help.
We have accepted nursing home negligence cases involving injured 90-year-olds after numerous other firms turned down the case. To us, it feels good to fulfill our goal of providing compensation for all injured parties, especially those least able to care for and fight for themselves.
Get the Right Representation on Your Side
Has your loved one suffered due to nursing home abuse or neglect? Choosing an attorney to represent your interests can be one of the most important decisions you can make. Many of our clients ask us what they should look for in a nursing home negligence attorney. We will explore some common attributes of successful nursing home abuse lawyers on this page. The following are some traits that we find are important for a Boston nursing home abuse lawyer to possess:
- Experience: Nursing home abuse cases can be complex and call for attorneys with significant experience in this special area of law.
- Skillset: You should hire an attorney who has the skill set to handle your particular case, whether it involves bedsores, malnutrition, medication errors, nursing home wrongful death, or unexplained and/or unwitnessed falls.
- Resources: Nursing home negligence cases may require extensive evidence and testimony from experts in medicine and other relevant fields. Make sure you work with a law firm that has the necessary resources to handle the most complex cases.
- Contingency Fee Billing: It is also important to work with an attorney who will not charge you any fees upfront. In a contingency fee billing arrangement, you only have to pay an attorney’s fee if he or she obtains results for you.
Time Limit to File a Nursing Home Negligence Claim in Boston
If you discover that your loved one has suffered from abuse or neglect in a nursing home, you need to be cognizant of the amount of time you have to file a lawsuit in these cases. If your loved one suffered from an injury due to abuse or neglect, you will need to keep the Massachusetts personal injury statute of limitations in mind. These injury claims need to be filed within three years from the date the injury occurred. If you fail to file a lawsuit on behalf of the abuse victim within this three-year timeframe, you will lose the ability to recover the compensation your loved one is entitled to.
How Often Does Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Occur?
Data available from the National Center on Elder Abuse shows us that approximately one out of every 10 people over the age of 60 suffer from some sort of elder abuse each year in this country. Unfortunately, even this statistic is likely misleading because the vast majority of elder abuse cases go unreported. The truth is, we do not know exactly how often nursing home abuse and neglect occurs, but we do know that residents inside these facilities are more likely to face instances of abuse and neglect.
Often, abuse and neglect victims in nursing homes are afraid to come forward to talk about what has happened to them out of fear of retaliation from the nursing home and the abuser. Additionally, and perhaps more tragically, there are also times when nursing home residents are not even able to communicate that they have been abused or neglected because they suffer from some sort of physical or cognitive disability that prevents them from doing so.
Signs and Symptoms of Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect
There are various signs and symptoms that family members and friends need to be on the lookout for when it comes to nursing home abuse and neglect. It is important to point out as we go through these signs and symptoms that there are times when even subtle changes could indicate that something is wrong. They will not always be glaring and obvious signs that abuse or neglect is occurring.
- Unexplained injuries such as cuts, bruises, skin tears, etc.
- Malnutrition or dehydration
- Poor personal hygiene or sanitation
- Sudden changes in mood or behavior
- Fear around certain nursing home staff members
- Changes in property or finances
It is often difficult for friends and family members to visit loved ones in a nursing home on a regular basis. However, we strongly encourage that regular check-ins occur. Even if it is not possible for in-person visits, try to stay in contact through phone or video chat if possible. The more active friends and family are, the less likely their loved one is to suffer from abuse at the facility.
Sexual, physical, and emotional abuse can often be thwarted when the potential victim is able to care for him or herself and can fight back. Of all demographics of people, nursing home residents are among the least able to prevent abuse. For this reason, we at Colucci, Colucci & Marcus, P.C. actively pursue a fair outcome in nursing injury and abuse cases. When assisting the infirm and the elderly, the nursing home abuse lawyers at our law firm know we are providing needed legal help to the most deserving.
Our Boston Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers Are Here for You
Whatever circumstances your loved one is facing, our Boston nursing home abuse attorneys are prepared to pursue fair and just compensation. Pursuing a nursing home abuse lawsuit not only protects your loved one from further harm but can help spare others from these harmful practices.
At our law firm, we work on a contingency fee basis. If we don’t win compensation for you, there is absolutely no charge for our services. We are available for day, evening, and weekend appointments. We can also visit you at your home or in the hospital. Our office is conveniently located six miles from the South Station Tunnel right off the Expressway near Route 128.
Contact us for prompt legal assistance if your aging loved one has been the victim of nursing home neglect or abuse. We proudly serve clients throughout Boston, MA, and the surrounding areas.
