Pittsburgh Bed Sore Attorney

Bedsores, also known as pressure sores and bed ulcers, are injuries that manifest in bedridden individuals, particularly elderly individuals. When a physician confines a person to bed rest, they need to be repositioned regularly or bedsores can form. Such sores can develop and worsen very quickly. If your loved one has been neglected by nursing home staff which led them to develop bed sores, the Pittsburgh nursing home abuse attorneys at Ronald J. Bua & Associates can help you determine liability and get the compensation your family member deserves. Call our Pittsburgh law firm today to see how we can help you with your case.

Stages of Bed Sores

Bedsores are classified in stages. These four stages include:

Stage one bedsore appears red and discolored. The wound site is painful and feels different from the surrounding areas, but there are no skin tears or cracks. Stage two bedsores deepen and damage or destroy the outer layers of skin.
Stage two bedsores often resemble ruptured blisters.
Stage three bedsores are deep wounds that expose the fat under the skin, and appear as crater-like, yellowish wounds.
Stage four bedsores are serious wounds that show a great deal of tissues loss. The muscle, tendons, or bones below the wound may become exposed, and the tissues will appear discolored and necrotic.

Can I Sue for Bedsores?

When an individual who is restricted to their bed is not moved regularly enough, the pressure of being kept in the same position damages the skin, and bedsores develop. If left untreated, bedsores will progress very quickly and are extremely painful. Bedsores are seen in nursing homes most commonly and are a sign of neglect. If you or your loved one has developed bedsores, the responsible parties should be held accountable for their negligence.

As with any other personal injury claim, you need to prove that the defendant (the person or entity you are suing) was negligent. Proving negligent involves several steps:

First, you must establish that the defendant had a duty to act with reasonable care. This means the defendant had a responsibility to ensure the well-being of the plaintiff (you, the person who is suing). An example would be nursing home staff members, who have a responsibility to monitor their patients and regularly reposition bedridden patients to prevent bedsores from forming.
Then, you have to show that the defendant breached this duty of care by some action. In bedsore cases, it’s actually inaction – the defendant should have repositioned the victim to prevent bedsores from forming, but failed to do so or intentionally disregarded this responsibility.
Finally, you must show the court that the injuries were the direct result of this breach. In bedsore cases, this is typically straightforward.

Your attorney must prove these things in court to obtain a successful outcome and collect compensation. Bedsores can result in very serious complications and may require corrective surgeries and other remedial intervention. We should not force victims to shoulder the costs of these things alone, if their sores developed due to another party’s negligence.

Know Your Rights in a Nursing Home

Every nursing home patient is entitled to thorough and responsible care from the nursing home staff. When staff members fail to exercise reasonable care while performing their job duties, they endanger the health and well-being of their patients. Elderly individuals are usually far less resilient to illness and injury than younger people, so bedsores can be extremely painful and drastically diminish the victim’s quality of life.

Ronald J. Bua & Associates has a 30-year history of representing the legal rights of clients in the Pittsburgh area, and our team of Pittsburgh personal injury lawyers has the experience and resources to handle any personal injury matter, no matter how complex it may be. If you or your loved one has had to endure bedsores due to the negligence of another person, it’s vital to reach out to an attorney to pursue compensation. Contact our team to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation about your bedsore case today.