Nursing Home Abuse Attorneys Proudly Serving Long Island, Nassau County and Suffolk County
At Senior Justice Law Firm, our entire law firm focus is on New York nursing home abuse and assisted living neglect. Let our years of experience guide you on your path to justice. Speak with a Long Island nursing home abuse lawyer now for a completely free case consultation: 646-969-5855.
Red Flag Injuries Indicative of Nursing Home Abuse & Neglect
- Bed Sores
- Broken Bones
- Elopement or Wandering
- Medication Mistakes
- Sexual Assault
- Untreated Infection
- Wrongful Death
If your family member suffered any of the above injuries inside a New York nursing home or assisted living facility, contact our Long Island nursing home negligence attorneys immediately.
More About Long Island Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect
Long Island is an island located to the east of Manhattan. Long Island is comprised of many cities and towns and is technically made up of Kings County, Queens County, Nassau County and Suffolk County, although most refer to Long Island as just Nassau and Suffolk County. It is one of the most densely populated areas in the United States and has a population of approximately 7.5 million. Long Island’s population is actually greater than 37 of America’s 50 states.
With such a large population, there are 79 nursing homes in Nassau and Suffolk Counties alone. In addition to these skilled nursing facilities, Long Island is home to more than 200 assisted living and memory care facilities.
FAQ’s Regarding Elder Abuse Cases on Long Island
When we receive calls from potential clients, our Long Island nursing home abuse lawyers are frequently asked these questions:
How much do I have to pay to retain a Long Island nursing home negligence attorney?
Here is the good news. The New York Bar allows our attorneys to accept these cases on a 100% contingency fee. This means you do not have to pay us an hourly fee or any up front costs. Instead, we only get paid a percentage of the value of the case after winning or settling the case. Typically, that contingency fee on Long Island nursing home abuse cases is 33 1/3% of the recovery or settlement.
What are the common injuries you see in negligence cases versus Long Island facilities?
There are a wide variety of injuries that may warrant the bringing of a lawsuit against a Long Island healthcare facility. However, most commonly we see wrongful death, bed sores, falls, broken bones, choking and pneumonia cases.
How can I report nursing home abuse on Long Island?
If your loved one suffered abuse, neglect or serious injury inside a Long Island nursing home, report the incident immediately. Call our nursing home abuse attorneys at 646-969-5855 and then call the New York nursing home complaint hotline at (888) 201-4563. It is only by reporting elder abuse that the vicious cycle of abusing and neglecting our seniors will end.
How much is a Long Island nursing home abuse lawsuit worth?
This is a frequent question, but a hard one to answer. There is no set value to a nursing home lawsuit. We have settled nursing home liability claims as low as $25,000. We have also resolved claims well in excess of $1,000,000. The case value depends entirely on the individual set of facts.
News, Verdicts and Settlements in Long Island Nursing Home Liability Cases
Unfortunately, Long Island nursing homes have made the news for poor care.
Long Island Nursing Home Care Workers Sentenced to Probation for Neglecting a Resident that Resulted in their Death
In 2019, a judge sentenced three Long Island nursing home workers for negligence in the death of a nursing home resident. The three nursing home staff-members had been found guilty of willful violation of public health laws. The incident occurred in December 2015 at A. Holly Patterson Extended Care Facility in Uniondale. It was alleged that the three workers ignored an alarm that indicated that a resident’s ventilator had become disconnected. The alarm sounded for nine minutes and 24 seconds before the resident passed away. It was alleged that the three convicted staff members had ignored the alarm while chatting with each other less than 40 feet away from the resident.
Each of the three staff members were sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to complete 200 hours of community service. Their medical credentials were also to be surrendered during their three-year probationary period.
Long Island Nursing Home Sues Family of Resident Who Choked to Death for His Outstanding Bill
In April 2019, it was reported that the Woodhaven Care Center, located in Suffolk County on Long Island, counter-sued the family of Salvatore Niosi, a resident who died allegedly as a result of the facility’s negligence, for his outstanding bill.
Mr. Niosi was a wheelchair-bound, 82-year old who could not speak and had difficulty swallowing. His medical chart clearly stated that he was only permitted pureed food. In 2013, a nurse at Woodhaven Care Center fed Mr. Niosi a sandwich without bothering to place his dentures in, and he consequently choked to death. A jury awarded the family $1 million in damages in the subsequent Long Island nursing home abuse lawsuit.
However, due to “an alleged clerical error in his Medicaid application,” the facility claimed that they were owed money for Mr. Niosi’s stay and filed suit against the family for the bill.
Long Island Nursing Home Settles Suit for $28 Million
In 2016, Medford Multicare Center settled a civil suit for $28 million and agreed to return $10 million to Medicaid as restitution. The lawsuit was filed based on criminal conduct on the part of employees who caused the wrongful death of a Long Island resident, then actively covered up the cause of her death by falsifying medical records.
Although the resident, Aurelia Rios, was to be connected to a ventilator every night, the staff failed to do so on the night of October 25, 2012. This resulted in Ms. Rios’s pulse rate and blood oxygen levels dropping significantly, and alerts were sent to the staff’s pagers and terminals. The alerts were ignored and Ms. Rios was found dead by a nurse’s aide in the early morning hours. The Rios family was told that she had died of a heart attack and the death was not reported as being caused by negligence, as is required by law.
The conduct resulted in criminal convictions for several members of the Medford Multicare Center. The settlement also required that the facility be operated by an independent party for the next five years to ensure that care improved and reforms were implemented.
However, in June 2019, the facility was listed on the Center for Medicare and Medicaid’s Special Focus Facilities program. The program is designed to help nursing home facilities that have received the most citations for health and safety issues, improve. Despite the settlement three years prior, it appears that Medford Multicare Center in Medford, NY has failed to significantly improve its quality of care.
Long Island Nursing Home Aids Allegedly Took Disturbing Photos of Residents
In 2013, the New York Attorney General stated that two nursing home aides were illegally taking pictures and video of unsuspected Long Island nursing home residents. These photos included those of large bedsores, “private areas that were covered in feces, and of a patient with an overflowing colostomy bag, all without consent.” Most of the incidents occurred at Woodhaven Nursing Home in Port Jefferson Station. However, some of this bizarre nursing home behavior occurred at Jefferson’s Ferry Lifecare Retirement Community in South Setauket and the Long Island Veterans Home in Stony Brook. Unlicensed photography of anyone, including nursing home residents, is against New York law.
Long Island Nursing Home Abuse Jury Verdict Awards $2M to Elderly Victim of Bed Sores
A New York jury returned a multi-million dollar jury verdict in favor of a deceased nursing home resident’s family, for allowing that resident to develop bed sores while at the facility. Initially, the facility acquired wounds were only at a Stage II, however, these wounds progressed and deteriorated into large Stage IV pressure ulcers. The bed sores were also infected.
Conclusion
As the above news articles show, some Long Island nursing homes have struggled to provide adequate care and routinely violated the residents’ right to safety. When a loved one must be admitted into a nursing home, the type of conduct outlined above is the worst kind imaginable. If your loved one is a resident at a Long Island nursing home and you suspect abuse or neglect, taking prompt action is critical. Any abuse or neglect should immediately be reported to the New York Department of Health.
However, state investigations take time and often lead to unsatisfying results. Our Long Island nursing home abuse lawyers move fast on investigating your potential case, and we investigate from the ground up. We look into the wrongdoing which caused your loved one injury, both at the ground level, and from the corporate perspective. All too often we find that understaffing and corporate mismanagement is the cause of catastrophic nursing home falls and injuries in residents.
Free Long Island Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Consultation
Speak with an experienced Long Island nursing home abuse attorney today. We can explain your legal rights and we may help you get compensation and justice for your loved one’s suffering in a Long Island healthcare facility.
Contact us today for a consultation: 646-969-5855