Have you or a loved one experienced nursing home abuse in Seattle, WA? You’re probably feeling overwhelmed and uncertain about where to turn for help. You may deserve compensation, and an experienced Seattle nursing home abuse lawyer at Darrell Cochran Personal Injury Lawyer can help you fight for every penny you deserve.
Our team has over 31 years of experience in personal injury law. Over the years, we’ve helped innocent victims and their families recover tens of millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts.
To learn more about your legal rights, call our law offices in Seattle, Washington, at (253) 948-0250 to schedule a free consultation today.
How Can Darrell Cochran, Personal Injury Lawyer, Help My Family Pursue Compensation for Nursing Home Abuse in Seattle?
Nursing homes are tasked with some of the most important tasks imaginable–providing care to elderly or disabled individuals. Abuse is a serious violation of the trust you’ve placed in the facility. Your family deserves every ounce of justice the law has to offer.
That said, nursing homes are represented by teams of insurance adjusters and defense attorneys. They’ll make recovering compensation as difficult as possible. That’s why it’s important to hire an experienced Seattle personal injury attorney who can even the score.
When you call Darrell Cochran Personal Injury Lawyer for help, we’ll handle all aspects of your case, including:
- Reporting the abuse and ensuring it’s put to an end
- Conducting our own investigation to locate the evidence you need
- Bringing in experts who can testify about valuation and liability
- Identifying all parties who are financially responsible
- Determining how much compensation you deserve
- Negotiating with the insurance company
We offer a free case review, so call our Seattle nursing home abuse lawyers for more details about how we can help today.
We Help With All Types of Nursing Home Abuse Cases
Any type of intentional act or neglect that harms a nursing home resident qualifies as nursing home abuse. Nursing home residents are often in vulnerable positions. When caregivers take advantage of that fact, they can be held accountable.
While nursing home abuse can take on many forms, five primary types of nursing home abuse exist:
Physical Abuse
Physical abuse can include hitting, kicking, biting, or even the unnecessary and improper use of restraints. The physical impact can be particularly damaging to residents who may be more susceptible to serious injury, and who may have turned to the nursing home to keep them safe from unintentional accidents.
Emotional Abuse
Nursing home residents can be harmed even if a caregiver never lays a hand on them. Psychological abuse can be incredibly damaging. Common abusive behaviors include bullying, taunting, belittling, threatening, coercion, and embarrassment in front of other residents.
Sexual Abuse
Sexual abuse occurs any time a resident is forced to participate in or watch sexual activity without their consent. Abuse may occur at the hands of a caretaker or even another resident.
Financial Abuse and Exploitation
Vulnerable nursing home residents are often prime targets for financial exploitation. Stealing a resident’s belongings, forging their signature, and even identity theft are all forms of financial abuse. Some caretakers may even coerce a resident into changing their will or beneficiary designation on financial accounts.
Nursing Home Neglect
Nursing home neglect can be just as damaging as intentional abuse. Nursing homes are responsible for providing residents with food, water, medications, medical care, and necessary assistance. When a caregiver fails to provide a resident with something they need, the risk of physical and mental harm greatly increases.
How Do I Know Whether Nursing Home Abuse is Happening?
Signs of nursing home abuse will vary depending on the nature of the abuse.
Some signs that a nursing home resident is being abused include:
- Frequent and suspicious injuries
- Fear of being left alone with a caregiver
- Fear of speaking around a caregiver
- Personality changes, including becoming withdrawn or depressed
- Regressive behaviors, such as self-hugging or rocking
- Unexplained weight loss
- Changes in personal hygiene
- Unsanitary conditions
- Unexplained financial transactions
Remember that your loved one may be reluctant to step forward and report the abuse. When memory is an issue, it’s entirely possible that they may not remember whether they’ve told their loved ones about what’s happening. You can always speak to someone in charge at the nursing home, but it’s also important to report the abuse to the authorities if your loved one is being harmed.
What is My Seattle Nursing Home Abuse Case Worth?
Your case value can depend on any number of variables.
As we build your case, our attorneys will evaluate:
- The nature of the abuse
- The type of harm the victim has suffered
- The financial costs incurred due to the abuse
- How long the abuse had been occurring
- The nursing home’s policies, procedures, and hiring practices
- How the abuse has changed the victim’s quality of life and lifestyle
- The need for ongoing future care and rehabilitation
Most of the time, victims are forced to deal with a nursing home’s insurance company. Before taking any insurance deal, reach out to a lawyer who understands how much you deserve. Otherwise, you risk falling prey to various insurance tactics that could diminish your compensation award.
What Types of Damages Are Available to Victims of Nursing Home Abuse in Washington State?
Nursing homes and caregivers may be responsible for paying a victim damages, whether the abuse or neglect was intentional or allowed to happen due to negligence.
Economic damages help victims cover the costs they have incurred due to the abuse or neglect, including:
- Past and future medical expenses
- Rehabilitation
- Property damage and restitution where financial abuse has occurred
- Transportation to a new nursing facility
- Mental health counseling
- Lost wages if a family member was forced to miss work to provide care or assistance
Victims of nursing home abuse also experience a great deal of suffering. Non-economic damages are awarded to compensate for these more intangible losses.
Examples include:
- Physical pain and suffering
- Emotional distress and trauma
- Depression
- PTSD and fear
- Embarrassment
- Reduced quality of life
- Scarring
Our lawyers in Seattle can help you identify and document the specific damages you have suffered due to the abuse.
How Much Does it Cost to Hire a Lawyer to Handle a Nursing Home Abuse Lawsuit?
Our Seattle nursing home abuse attorneys work on a contingency fee basis. You pay nothing until we’ve recovered compensation in your case. When we do, you pay a fixed percentage of any settlement or verdict.
We Fight to Recover Compensation for All Injuries Caused by Nursing Home Abuse
Nursing home abuse and neglect can result in all types of injuries.
At Darrell Cochran Personal Injury Lawyer, we’re here to help if you or a loved one has suffered:
- Bed sores
- Infections
- Cuts and lacerations
- Soft tissue injuries
- Burn injuries
- Broken bones
- Nerve damage
- Concussions
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Internal organ damage
- Dehydration
- Blood clots
- Eye injuries
- Hearing damage
- Spinal cord injuries
- Back injuries
- Neck injuries
Of course, not all abuse results in physical injury. Our lawyers know that the mental impact of abuse can change a victim’s life forever. We’ll fight aggressively to ensure your compensation award accounts for things like depression, reduced quality of life, and loss of the ability to enjoy life’s activities.
Why Does Nursing Home Abuse Occur in Seattle?
Nursing home abuse can occur for any number of reasons.
Some common causes of nursing home abuse include:
- Negligent hiring: Nursing homes are responsible for screening, training, and supervising caregivers. When the nursing home fails to implement procedures designed to prevent abuse, it’s much more likely to occur
- Understaffing: When nursing homes are understaffed, caregivers may neglect residents’ needs simply because they don’t have the time or energy to provide adequate care
- Poor facility conditions: Nursing homes are responsible for ensuring residents have a safe and sanitary place to call home
- Profit motivation: Nursing homes are businesses, of course. Still, when nursing homes improperly cut corners to maximize their own profits, it’s the residents who are most likely to suffer harm
It’s important to understand the root cause of the abuse. When we dig deep and find out why the abuse has been allowed to occur, we’ll gain the evidence we need to build a strong claim for compensation against the nursing home.
How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit Based on Nursing Home Abuse in Washington State?
You only have a limited amount of time to take legal action. Generally, the statute of limitations gives you three years to file a lawsuit. In cases involving ongoing abuse, the three-year period starts to run on the last known date of abuse.
Contact a Seasoned Seattle Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer for a Free Consultation
You don’t have to let the nursing home get away with abusing someone you love. If you even suspect that your loved one is being abused, call a Seattle nursing home abuse lawyer who can help. Our team at Darrell Cochran Personal Injury Lawyer offers free consultations, so contact us today to schedule a time to talk.