Syracuse Nursing Home Lawyer for Injury, Abuse, & Neglect

90% of US nursing homes have staff levels too low to provide adequate care, contributing to rampant injury, abuse and neglect in long-term care facilities and nursing homes across our country. In fact, studies have shown that one in six nursing home residents experience abuse each year, including:

These figures are likely low, as incidents of nursing home abuse are infrequently reported, as many residents are reluctant to complain out of fear of additional abuse and retaliation.

If a family member was abused in a nursing home, we invite you to call our office to schedule a free consultation and case evaluation with an experienced Syracuse nursing home lawyer.  At Friedlander and Friedlander, P.C., we serve the greater upstate New York area from our Ithaca office.  We can listen to the facts of your case, explain your legal options for seeking accountability and justice, and tenaciously pursue compensation for injuries caused by nursing home abuse, negligence, or the death of a loved one.

How Much Does an Experienced Syracuse Nursing Home Injury Lawyer Cost?

We represent injured nursing home victims on a contingency fee basis, meaning we do not charge a fee unless we successfully secure compensation through a settlement or jury award.

We also advance all litigation expenses while a case is ongoing.  Consequently, your loved one and family needn’t worry about coming out of pocket to secure representation from an experienced Syracuse nursing home injury lawyer.

What Are Signs of Nursing Home Abuse?

Because nursing home abuse and neglect are often underreported, family and friends are frequently unaware of the trauma being experienced. As such, it is vital to immediately act if your loved one exhibits warning signs.

Warning signs of abuse or neglect may include:

  • Wrongful Death
  • Bedsores or Pressure Ulcers
  • Falls
  • Unexplained Injuries (e.g., broken bones, head trauma, concussions, cuts, burns, abrasions, etc.)
  • Bruising (especially around wrists and ankles)
  • Malnutrition
  • Dehydration
  • Severe Infections
  • Medication Errors
  • Overdoses
  • Depression
  • Frequent Crying
  • Agitation
  • Sudden Withdrawal
  • Fear

Are Nursing Homes Responsible for Falls?  Getting the Representation of a Syracuse Nursing Home Fall Lawyer.

In many cases, falls occur in nursing homes as a direct result of the failure of a nursing home to properly assess the mobility needs of residents, or to implement a plan designed to ensure that residents with mobility issues are not allowed to walk unattended.

In addition to walking, wheelchair-bound residents will always require assistance in moving to and from a bed and a wheelchair, as well as help in going to the bathroom.  Nursing home falls frequently occur when staff do not properly help in these transfers and a resident falls and is injured, or they fail to respond to a resident’s request for assistance (and a resident is injured when they try get into or from a wheelchair unattended).

These are only a few examples of how a nursing home may be liable for a fall.  If your family member was injured from a fall, a Syracuse nursing home fall lawyer will be helpful.  We invite you to call us for a free case evaluation to learn how we can help.

Syracuse Nursing Home Wrongful Death Lawyer

One of the heartbreaking parts of our representation is representing a family who has lost a loved one due to a preventable death, such as a death from a fall, choking, bedsores, abuse, neglect, or other matter.  As a Syracuse nursing home wrongful death lawyer, attorney Bill Friedlander has significant experience investigating nursing home deaths resulting from negligence, neglect, and abuse and representing injured residents and families.

As a firm we are committed to preventing the wrongful deaths of our seniors in Syracuse and other nursing homes, and to bringing a measure of justice to those who have lost a loved one.  During decades of nursing home injury representation, we have found that in almost all cases the underlying cause of injury and wrongful death is a choice by nursing homes to put profit before resident needs.

However, when nursing homes are held financially responsible, their actions and practices will usually change, as it becomes significantly more costly to pay a legal settlement or verdict than to do the right thing in the first place.  For the families who have lost a loved one, in addition to obtaining justice and financial compensation, it may also be helpful to know that holding a nursing home accountable may lead to other families not having to go through the loss of a loved one as the result of changes in nursing home practices.

Understanding How Syracuse Nursing Homes Try To Avoid Liability By Blaming Families for a Loved One’s Injuries or Death

Nursing homes often try to make a family feel guilty when a loved one is injured or has died in a nursing home through the following tactics:

  • Blaming the family for not caring enough to keep their loved one at home instead of placing them in a nursing home. This tactic involves implicitly making a family feel like if they really cared about their loved one, they would have never placed their loved one in a nursing home (and thus their loved one would not have been injured or died).  Clearly, no one wants to put a loved one in a nursing home; this decision is often heart-wrenching.  In most cases, a loved one simply requires much more care (and professional care) that family members are unable to provide.
  • Claiming that the family should have recognized signs of abuse or neglect. This tactic is an attempt to shift the blame for the injuries or death onto the family, often by statements such as “if you had visited more frequently, you would have noticed that your loved one was suffering some condition.”  Similar to the first tactic above, nursing homes know that if they can make family members feel guilty, the family may not sue.
  • Asserting that the resident needed an unreasonable amount of care. This tactic is focused on the assertion that a family should not reasonably expect that any nursing home has the staff and resources to care for their loved one because of the significant care needs of their loved one.  This excuse legally should fail.  By accepting a resident, a nursing agrees to provide the necessary care, irrespective of the need of other residents.  If they need to hire more staff to provide sufficient treatment to residents, it is their obligation to do so.

    As Syracuse nursing home injury lawyers, we frequently encounter these types of excuses made by nursing homes in seeking to avoid liability.  If your loved one was injured or died in a nursing home as the result of neglect, abuse, or other negligence, you should know that it is the nursing home – not you or your family – who is liable.  Our role is to hold nursing homes accountable for their actions (or inaction).

    Who Can Be Sued for Nursing Home Injuries in New York?

    Long-term care facilities and nursing homes have a duty to provide a standard of care that keeps residents safe and comfortable.  Despite this duty, however, many nursing home residents still commonly suffer preventable injuries or needlessly die.

    Depending on the facts of a case and the extent of one’s injuries, those responsible for injury and wrongful death could include:

    • A Nursing Home or Long-Term Care Facility
    • Nursing Home Management Companies
    • Hospitals
    • Doctors
    • Nurses
    • Employees

    For example, if a nursing home fails to train personnel properly and a resident suffers injuries, the nursing home owners and operators and the care provider could be liable for damages.

    As experienced Syracuse nursing home attorneys, we will leave no stone unturned in identifying all liable parties, as this provides you and your family with the best chance of securing maximum compensation.

    What Should I Do If I Suspect My Loved One Is Being Abused or Neglected in a Nursing Home?

    If abuse or neglect is suspected, we suggest the following:

    • Contact the facility administrator immediately with your concerns.
    • Seek professional help in assessing your loved one’s immediate needs. As an example, bedsores that occur as the result of neglect can very quickly develop into a major life-threatening medical condition that may require immediate treatment either on-site or even at a hospital.
    • Contact the police if abuse is suspected (which may be physical, sexual, or mental abuse).
    • Contact our firm. As nursing home injury lawyers, we can help assess liability and accountability.

    Our Nursing Home Representation Experience and How We Help

    Dealing with seeking justice and accountability for a loved one’s injuries or wrongful death in a nursing home can be overwhelming.  At Friedlander and Friedlander, we have decades of experience successfully representing injured nursing home residents and their families, and we have recovered millions of dollars in compensation for clients.  We handle all legal matters, from start to finish, including (but not limited to):

    • Conducting a thorough investigation,
    • Collecting evidence including staff reports, video, medical reports, and other documents, which may be obtained through a subpoena,
    • Interviewing and deposing staff members about a case,
    • Identifying all liable parties and demanding full compensation for injury or death,
    • Handling discussions with insurance providers,
    • Identifying all damages that are compensable, including those for past and future pain and suffering,
    • Filing a lawsuit (if a settlement cannot be reached),
    • Retaining experts needed to best present a client’s case, and
    • Tenaciously seeking justice and full compensation at trial, if a trial ensues.

      How Long Do I Have to File a Nursing Home Abuse Lawsuit in New York?

      Under New York law,[2] injury victims typically have three years from the date of an incident to file a personal injury claim (this period of time is known as the statute of limitations).   If a lawsuit is not initiated within this timeframe, a victim may be barred from seeking compensation in court.  Thus, it is critical to reach out to our firm as soon as possible to seek legal representation.

      Call Our Office to Schedule a Free Consultation with An Experienced Syracuse Nursing Home Injury Lawyer.

      When you call, we can answer your questions and explain your options for seeking justice and compensation.


      [1] Research Statistics and Data, National Center on Elder Abuse, https://ncea.acl.gov/What-We-Do/Research/Statistics-and-Data.aspx.

      [2] The Consolidated Laws of New York, The New York State Senate, https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/CVP/214

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