Nursing Home Negligence Led to Amputation
A war veteran and his wife have launched a nursing home abuse lawsuit against a California facility run by Fairmont Hospital after its negligent care led to the amputation of his left leg.
After suffering from a stroke that left him unable to use his right side, then-56-year-old Rahn Hoskins was admitted to San Leandro Nursing Home in July 2011 so he could undergo rehabilitation and relearn how to walk. However, while at the hospital he instead developed pressure sores on his left foot that were bandaged but not properly treated.
After much hesitation by staff of the nursing home facility, Hoskins was eventually transferred to Eden Medical Center’s emergency room on November 28, 2011 where it was discovered that his pressure sores had developed in gangrene. Because the infection had spread into his blood, doctors had to amputate Hoskins’ left leg below the knee. A doctor at the hospital estimated that a pressure sore would have had to go untreated for at least three weeks for it to be in the shape it was in when Hoskins was eventually admitted to the emergency room.
"I was learning to walk one day and the next thing I knew I was in the hospital, and my foot was gone," Hoskins said, according to the Contra Costa Times.
In addition to the gangrene, Hoskins was also suffering from kidney failure, pneumonia, malnourishment, anemia, and blood loss because of the poor care he received at the nursing home.
An Eden doctor later stated, according to the nursing home abuse lawsuit, that the pressure sores would have had to have festered for at least three weeks in order to have reached such a dire stage.
Hoskins and his wife also detail a number of situations in which he was improperly treated at the nursing home facility. In one instance, Hoskins was left sitting alone with soiled adult diapers for hours, while in another situation his calls to doctors were ignored for so long that he had to get out of bed and crawl on his hands and knees to get to the bathroom.
If you or a loved one has been the victim of negligent or unsafe care at a nursing home facility, there may be legal options at your disposal. Contact Sokolove Law today to learn more about what is required to pursue a nursing home abuse lawsuit. For legal help, call (800) 581-6358.
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