Wrongful death cases may bring to mind catastrophic accidents on the highway or in the workplace, but that is not the only situation that merit them. Negligence of a piece of company equipment is one thing, but what about negligence of care in a healthcare facility?
McKnight’s Senior Living reports on a case at an assisted living community where one resident killed another.
Personalized senior care and protection
Spring Arbor Senior Living hosts a community in Wilmington, North Carolina where many senior residents—some with mental and memory care needs—live. These communities help provide older adults personalized care in a residential setting.
Neighbors and dementia
An 80-year-old resident sustained several injuries after an attack by a fellow resident who shared an adjoining bathroom. He died at the hospital within a week of the beating. Both he and the attacker both lived with dementia and the attacker allegedly had a history of physical threats or actions.
Alleged company neglect
The family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Spring Arbor’s parent company over a neglect of care due to not having safety measures in place for dementia-associated behaviors. The parent company clamed a broad immunity to the lawsuit due to recent healthcare concerns but settled the lawsuit out of court.
The unexpected death of a loved one impacts everyone in unique ways. Navigating the complicated details of that death is more stress on top of the grief. For those unsure whether their situation merits a wrongful death case, it may be helpful to determine whether it does and what options there are for securing compensation for damages.