The Guardian Blog : Arizona Nursing Home Lawyer & Attorney : Solomon & Relihan Law Firm : AZ Assisted Living Neglect & Abuse : The Guardian Blog

The 38-year-old man was charged with driving with a suspended license and unsafe back and failure to exercise due care.  He is accused of striking the woman while backing into a parking spot in New York.   The man's driving license has been suspended after he failed to pay the $70 traffic fine.  His New Jersey driver's license was suspended twenty three times between 1992 - 1999 according to the Motor Vehicle Commission Records.  The majority of this man's fines were because he failed to pay the fines and for being a persistent violator. The man had been improving his driving record since 1999, with the exception of a ticket for talking on his cell phone while driving in December.  When the impact occurred it threw the elderly woman back and she suffered a massive head impact.  The woman was rushed to the local hospital where she was pronounced dead.  Her daughter who was hit also suffered broken ribs but was in stable condition. 

It is important to talk to your loved ones about road safety and pedestrian safety.  No family should have to lose their loved one in this type of accident.  This driver had a history of carelessness and disregard for the law and why he was continuously allowed to have a drivers license should be explored.  A professional can help look into these aspects of the accident and help your family receive the compensation they deserve.

The Minnesota Department of Health cited Bethesda Heritage Center for neglected because most of the center’s staff members were unaware of the dietary restriction for this resident that did not allow her to consume raw vegetables of any kind. The resident was admitted to the center two years prior to the incident for chronic breathing and trouble with anxiety. She was on a restrictive diet which banned her from consuming anything that was not cooked. On May 29^th, the resident began choking while she ate cucumbers in cream. A staff member performed the Heimlich maneuver, which prompted her to cough up a mouthful of food. 

The resident was taken to an emergency room where she died from respiratory failure and choking. The staff at the nursing home have stated that they did not believe they were violating the dietary restrictions since the cucumbers were soft and in cream sauce. The nursing home has since taken measure to re-educate their staff members about the dietary restrictions of all its residents. The nursing home not requires every meal to be double checked against their resident’s dietary requirements. 

Although the nursing home is now taking measures to prevent this accident it still doesn’t change that the family of this resident has to suffer the loss of their loved one from this accident.    Each resident should have been informed about the dietary restrictions to begin so this incident could have prevented. The negligence of the nursing home makes them responsible for the emotional damages and the other costs of this incident. 

According to the police report, the two residents involved in the attack both suffer from dementia, a disorder that affects memory, thinking, language, judgment, and behavior. It is still unclear what provoked the attack. The victim of the attack was rushed to a Beverly Hospital with head and facial wounds and serious internal injuries to the liver. The accused resident is being detained at a psychiatric facility in Lynn until August 21^st so they can be monitored and undergo a complete psychiatric evaluation. Police are still investigating the cause of the incident.

Preventing resident-to-resident abuse is a responsibility of the nursing home staff and administration. Nursing homes are supposed to be the safe haven for your loved ones. You never expect that they can get injured or hurt in a place that promises their safety and well-being. In a situation like this one, the residents should have been monitored and the situation should never have reached such a dangerous level. Other factors could have played a part like if the patient was given an inappropriate amount of medication, or was provoked by the staff. If your loved one was injured in a nursing home and you suspect negligence, then contacting an Arizona personal injury attorney is your best option for compensation.