Cases of elder abuse have increased significantly over the years, and with a rapidly aging generation of Baby Boomers expecting to rank by 2025 as the largest senior population in history, elder abuse could become an escalating problem that the legal system will need to address. Berkowitz and Hanna LLC sabe que el maltrato de ancianos tiene muchas señales reveladoras: los moretones y huesos fracturados, la desnutrición y / o deshidratación, úlceras de decúbito, y en su forma más extrema – muerte por negligencia. In a hospital or nursing home scenario, attempts to cover up the abuse do not usually end well for the abuser(s), as evidenced by a recent wrongful death suit won by the family of an elderly San Diego woman who suffered and died, from a series of mishaps caused by negligent hospital staff.
El jurado encontró que varios casos de negligencia contribuyeron a la muerte de Margaret Kasper de 94 años de edad, que había sido hospitalizada en el Vista Healthcare Center en San Diego y murió el 29 de marzo de 2010, cinco días después de someterse a una cirugía. The problems began when an oversized food cart, that was knowingly improperly manned, hit Mrs. Kasper. The patient broke her hip and had to undergo surgery. After the surgery, she fell out of bed. The promise of providing her with a bedside monitor (to alert the staff if she moved) was never fulfilled. In addition, her doctor neglected to conduct a follow-up physical—and medical staff later tried to cover this fact up in court, by signing her medical records.
El personal no sólo cometió varios actos de negligencia grave, sino que además violaron su responsabilidad fiduciaria hacia esa paciente vulnerable. The jury found Vista liable for the woman’s death and awarded damages of $800,000.
Note: We did not represent any of the parties in this case.
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Berkowitz Hanna
