The coronavirus pandemic has raged across Florida and the United States. Despite the fact that many places around the country are beginning to reopen, the death toll continues to rise. As of this writing, there have been more than 60,000 total COVID-19 deaths in the United States. Unfortunately, many of these deaths have occurred to the most vulnerable population in our society – those inside nursing homes.
Wrongful death claims are beginning to mount
The first major outbreak of coronavirus deaths in the United States happened at Life Care Center, a nursing home in a Seattle suburb. Now, a woman whose mother died due to COVID-19 at that nursing home has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the company that owns the facility. Debbie de Los Angeles says that her mother, Twilla Morin, 85, died at the facility on March 4. The lawsuit claims that senior executives at the facility “failed to disclose material facts” to relatives and residents at the home. The complaint goes on to say that the facility knew about a respiratory outbreak in February, but delayed notifying officials.
Other wrongful death claims are being filed in various parts of the country. In Kansas City, a wrongful death claim has been filed against Riverbend Post Acute Rehabilitation, a facility that has seen 27 deaths related to COVID-19. The lawsuit states that officials at the facility did not take steps to properly keep COVID-19 from entering or spreading in its facility.
These claims are amongst the first of what will likely be hundreds of wrongful death claims filed against long-term care facilities that allegedly did not take appropriate steps to keep residents and employees safe during the pandemic.
Why are nursing homes so severely affected?
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), those most at risk of becoming seriously ill or dying due to COVID-19 include:
- those who are 65 years of age or older
- those who have chronic health conditions such as heart disease, lung diseases, diabetes, and weakened immune systems
Unfortunately, many residents in nursing homes have a combination of those issues, making them particularly susceptible to the virus.
Contact an experienced attorney as soon as possible
We thoroughly understand that this is a difficult time for so many people. We also know that not all COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes are the result of wrongful acts. However, if your loved one died in a nursing home as a result of complications due to COVID-19, you may need to speak to an attorney.
If your loved one’s death was caused by the result of the negligence of nursing home staff or the owners of the facility, you may be entitled to compensation through a wrongful death claim. At Colson Hicks Eidson, you can count on our award-winning team to thoroughly investigate what happened in your case and determine whether or not a lawsuit will be appropriate. When you need a nursing home wrongful death attorney in Florida or throughout the US, you can contact us for a free consultation by clicking here or by calling us at 305-476-7400.