Nursing Home Death

$450,000

Another nursing home death involved a former town veteran’s official who was in the nursing home for rehabilitation after falling and hitting his head. He was agitated at the nursing home due to his injury and needed 24/7 supervision. His wife stayed there 12 hours a day. He wanted to come home, but was not yet ready to be discharged. One day, after she left and turned over supervision to nursing staff, the man got up out of bed, walked down the hallway, through a set of double doors past the nursing station unnoticed and then opened an unlocked door. Thinking it was an exit, he walked out, only to fall down a flight of stairs and die due to a subdural hematoma. The surviving wife was appointed Executrix under the will. Attorney Goodman commenced suit and took numerous depositions to establish the lapse in supervision. The action was resolved to the satisfaction of the widow, with an apology and acknowledgment of wrongdoing by the facility.