Louisville Bedsores Lawyer
Bedsores, also known as pressure ulcers or decubitus ulcers, are one of the most visible signs of neglect in a nursing home setting. These painful, potentially life-threatening wounds develop when vulnerable residents are left in the same position for too long, without the attention and care necessary to prevent skin breakdown. At the Haney Law Firm in Louisville, we know how to investigate bedsore injuries thoroughly and build strong claims for accountability and compensation.
Attorney David Haney brings an invaluable perspective to these cases, having worked as a nursing home litigation manager before founding the Haney Law Firm. He understands how long-term care facilities operate and how they often try to avoid responsibility when serious harm befalls a resident.
If your loved one developed bedsores in a Louisville-area nursing home, our Louisville bedsores lawyers are here to help you get answers, demand accountability, and pursue justice.
What Causes Bedsores in Nursing Homes?
Bedsores form when constant pressure reduces blood flow to a part of the body, typically areas over bony prominences like the tailbone, hips, heels, or elbows. The lack of circulation causes the skin and underlying tissue to break down. Bedsores progress in severity through four stages, from superficial redness to deep wounds exposing muscle and bone.
Most nursing home residents are at heightened risk due to immobility, limited nutrition, incontinence, or chronic illnesses. But even high-risk residents should not develop these injuries if proper care is provided.
Preventing bedsores is part of basic nursing home care. Staff must reposition immobile residents every two hours, ensure proper hydration and nutrition, keep skin clean and dry, and monitor for early signs of skin breakdown. When these basic preventive measures are ignored, residents can suffer immensely.
Bedsores Are Almost Always Preventable
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) considers pressure ulcers to be “never events,” meaning injuries that should never occur in a properly run facility. When they do, it’s usually because of inadequate staffing, poor training, or outright neglect.
Common lapses that lead to bedsores in Louisville nursing homes include:
- Failure to create or follow a care plan for repositioning
- Ignoring signs of early skin damage
- Not documenting or reporting a resident’s deterioration
- Understaffing that leaves residents unattended for hours
Because bedsores can develop and worsen quickly, timely identification and intervention are critical. Facilities that fail to meet this duty should be held accountable for the resulting harm.
The Serious Consequences of Pressure Ulcers
Bedsores aren’t just painful—they can lead to catastrophic complications. Once the skin barrier is broken, bacteria can enter the body, leading to localized infections like cellulitis or systemic infections such as sepsis. In advanced cases, bedsores can expose bone and connective tissue, significantly increasing the risk of death.
According to the CDC, about one in ten nursing home residents develops pressure ulcers, and the mortality rate for advanced-stage bedsores is alarmingly high. These wounds aren’t minor inconveniences; they are red flags for larger patterns of substandard care.
How the Haney Law Firm Can Help
Pursuing a nursing home negligence claim isn’t easy. Facilities often deny responsibility or claim that a resident was “noncompliant” or “high risk.” They may downplay the injury or argue that the bedsore was unavoidable.
Attorney David Haney has seen these tactics before—from the inside. As a former litigation manager for nursing homes, he understands the internal policies, documentation practices, and risk management strategies these facilities use to limit liability.
When we take on your case, we’ll:
- Conduct a detailed review of medical records, care plans, and incident reports
- Work with nursing and wound care experts to evaluate the standard of care
- Examine staffing levels, training procedures, and compliance with state and federal regulations
Our goal is not only to recover financial compensation for your loved one’s suffering, but also to expose systemic failures and prevent others from experiencing similar harm.
Compensation in Louisville Bedsore Cases
A successful claim can recover damages for many aspects of the harm inflicted, including medical treatment and wound care, pain and suffering, loss of dignity and quality of life, and emotional distress. If the bedsore contributed to or caused the resident’s death, a wrongful death claim can help the grieving family with final medical expenses, funeral and burial costs, and other related damages they have suffered from the loss.
While no amount of money can undo the pain of neglect, holding the facility accountable can provide closure and drive necessary changes within the system.
Don’t Wait to Take Action
Nursing homes have teams of attorneys and insurers ready to defend them. You deserve an advocate who knows how they think and knows how to fight back. At the Haney Law Firm, we combine legal skill with an insider’s perspective on nursing home operations. We offer compassionate, aggressive representation to families in Louisville who are ready to stand up for their loved ones.
Call today for a free consultation. There is no fee unless we win your case.