compensation Archives - New Jersey Medical Malpractice Lawyers

Nursing Home Neglect Lawyers: Estate Awarded $5.2 Million

Nursing home neglect lawyers convinced an Arkansas court to award the estate of Martha Bull $5.2 million in damages for pain, suffering and mental anguish. Bull died at the Greenbrier Nursing and Rehabilitation Center on April 7, 2008 at the age of 76 after the home was negligent in her treatment by failing to act on a doctor’s orders to transfer her to a hospital.

Woman Dies after Cries of Pain are Ignored

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Bull was admitted to the facility on March 28, 2008 for 30 days of rehabilitation after suffering a stroke. On the night of April 6, she began suffering from severe abdominal pain, sweating, and inability to make a bowel movement. Nothing was done for her until the next shift when she was still complaining and a doctor was called that following afternoon. The doctor ordered that Bull be transferred to the emergency room because of her history. A fax was sent to a fax machine in a closet of the wing of the building where Bull lived. No one saw the fax and Bull was never taken to the hospital, even though she screamed throughout the afternoon so loudly that other residents complained. Martha Bull was found dead later that night, the fax not discovered until the next day. No autopsy was performed and the facility does not know the official cause of death.

Greenbrier Nursing and Rehabilitation Center fought this case for the four years it was in litigation and didn’t admit guilt in making mistakes in Bull’s treatment until after the trial had already begun.

Nursing Home Neglect Lawyers in New Jersey and Philadelphia

If you or your loved one has suffered nursing home abuse, negligence, and inadequacy it is time to contact nursing home neglect lawyers. The team at Messa & Associates is dedicated to earning justice and compensation for those injured or worse by negligence and abuse in nursing homes and long term care facilities. Call, toll-free, 1-800-MessaLaw, or submit a free online inquiry. If you would like immediate assistance, click the CHAT LIVE icon to the right. A representative is present right now to answer your questions.

Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers Update on Woman who Suffered Head Injuries

The nursing home abuse lawyers at Messa & Associates recently reported on Sammie Berry, an 88-year-old wheelchair bound woman with Alzheimer’s, who was injured in an incident at the Kaufman Healthcare Center nursing home where she suffered a huge gash on her forehead and severe bruising to her face. The facility misled the family regarding the severity of the injuries and the elderly woman remained in a coma at a local hospital. Investigators have since arrested James Seaton, a certified nurse at the nursing home, on charges of felony aggravated assault-injury to an elderly person.

Man Arrested for Assaulting Elderly Woman

nursing home abuse lawyers According to investigators, when arrested Seaton lied about the accident and tried to blame someone else for Berry’s injuries. He now denies the accusation, “I wasn’t trying to blame them. I was hurt, and too afraid to come forward,” he said. His side of the story is now that he was trying to get the elderly woman dressed while she was in bed, “I was turning her and my back kind of went out and I lost control of her, that’s when she bumped her head on the oxygen tank, which was close to the bed.” He then claimed that he told a nurse of the incident and she told him that she would call 911, but the victim’s family said the hospice nurse called 911 over an hour later.

“I think it’s pretty sad,” said relative Louise Berry. “I truly hope that he’s ashamed of himself.” When asked if he had anything to say to Berry’s family he said “Tell them it was an accident. I’m very sorry because I wouldn’t have intentionally done anything to happen to them. I pray Mrs. Berry will be better.”

Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers in New Jersey and Philadelphia

If you or your loved one have suffered nursing home abuse, negligence, and inadequacy it’s time to contact nursing home abuse lawyers. The team at Messa & Associates is dedicated to earning justice and compensation for those injured by negligence and abuse in nursing homes and long term care facilities. Call, toll-free, 1-800-MessaLaw, or submit a free online inquiry. If you would like immediate assistance, click the CHAT LIVE icon to the right. A representative is present right now to answer your questions.

Nursing Home Neglect Lawyers: Director Covers Up Missing Resident

As nursing home neglect lawyers we try to report on all forms of abuse and neglect. Facilities need to monitor high-risk patients very carefully to make sure they are kept safely in the home and do not get into dangerous situations. An elderly man is missing from the Bishop Charles Waldo Maclean Episcopal Nursing facility in Queens, NY. On May 26, 74 year old Alan Frazer, who suffers from high blood pressure and dementia, went missing from the facility. The former director of the home, Juliet Clifford, allegedly failed to call 911 to report the missing man. She then falsified records to cover up that he was missing and told investigators that he left against the home’s advice.

Former Director Falsifies Records

The day after he went missing Clifford removed notes from his medical charts and ordered staff members to edit the records to say he left against medical advice and told them not to call the police. Luckily staff members at the home did report Frazer missing on May 30th.

Clifford was arrested on one count of endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person in the first degree, one count of falsifying business records in the first degree, two counts of falsifying business records in the second degree and one count of willful violation of the health laws. If found guilty of these charges, Clifford could serve up to four years in prison.

Nursing Home Neglect Lawyers in New Jersey and Philadelphia

If you or your loved one have suffered nursing home abuse, negligence, and inadequacy it’s time to contact nursing home neglect lawyers. The team at Messa & Associates is dedicated to earning justice and compensation for those injured by negligence and abuse in nursing homes and long term care facilities. Call, toll-free, 1-800-MessaLaw, or submit a free online inquiry. If you would like immediate assistance, click the CHAT LIVE icon to the right. A representative is present right now to answer your questions.

Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers: Students Develop Elder Abuse App

Students from the Elder Justice & Policy program at the William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota have developed a mobile app designed to help provide support to the first responders and law enforcement to identify and address potential abuse. The app contains tools on how to recognize signs of abuse, approaches and strategies to interviewing victims of elder abuse and information on the laws that protect vulnerable adults. As elder abuse lawyers it is exciting to see law students taking the initiative to further the resources in the fight against elder abuse.

Students Research How Technology Can Help the Elderly

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The students created the app after getting involved in the school’s keystone program that places students with different organizations that work towards fighting elder abuse. They then research the use of technology related to elder law. One of the goals of the program is to have the students learn about the different ways technology, websites and e-newsletters, can be used and maintained to advocate for the elderly and vulnerable adults.

Desiree Toldt was placed with the Anoka County Attorney’s Office where she became involved with the MN S.A.F.E. Elders initiative and began working on the app. Along with attorneys at the office and fellow student Christopher Ziolkowski, who wrote the coding for the app and created the structure for continuous updates, they continued to work on the project. The S.A.F.E. MN app is available to the public for free download on June 14th.

Elder Abuse Lawyers in New Jersey and Philadelphia

If you or your loved one has suffered nursing home abuse, negligence, and inadequacy it is time to contact elder abuse lawyers. The team at Messa & Associates is dedicated to earning justice and compensation for those injured or worse by negligence and abuse in nursing homes and long term care facilities. Call, toll-free, 1-800-MessaLaw, or submit a free online inquiry. If you would like immediate assistance, click the CHAT LIVE icon to the right. A representative is present right now to answer your questions.

Elder Abuse Lawyers Educate What to Do if Victim of Financial Abuse

The elder abuse lawyers of Messa & Associates want to discuss what you should do if you recognize the signs and/or feel you have become a victim of financial abuse. It is not to late to defend yourself and rightfully punish the financial predator who is trying to harm you. The first step is recognizing that you are being taken advantage of and contacting the proper authorities. This may be difficult because often the accused is someone close to you such as a family member, good friend or caretaker. But you must be strong because what they have done is a crime. There are many agencies in place to help protect you from financial abuse.

Agencies To Contact

Police: If you feel you are in immediate danger call 911. To report the crime you should call your local police station on their non-emergency phone number

Adult Protective Services: Each state has an APS program that provide services working to ensure the safety of older adults and adults with disabilities who are being abused or neglected.

Long Term Care Ombudsmen: Ombudsmen are trained to resolve problems and provide information on how to find quality care. They are advocates for residents of nursing homes and assist with complaints about abuse or neglect.

New Jersey and Philadelphia Elder Abuse Lawyers

If you or your loved one has suffered financial abuse, negligence, and inadequacy, in addition to the agencies above you should also contact elder abuse lawyers. The team at Messa & Associates is dedicated to earning justice and compensation for those injured or worse by negligence and abuse in nursing homes and long term care facilities. Call, toll-free, 1-800-MessaLaw, or submit a free online inquiry. If you would like immediate assistance, click the CHAT LIVE icon to the right. A representative is present right now to answer your questions.

Personal Injury Lawyers Warn of Fatal Complications with Bath Refinisher

new jersey personal injury lawyers, phildelphia, attorneys Personal injury lawyers recently came across an announcement made by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding a common paint stripping chemical that is often used to refinish bathtubs. The substance, called methylene chloride, is commonly used as a paint remover or degreaser in industrial and home improvement products.

The CDC’s announcement served as a warning against using any products containing the substance which Michigan State University research discovered was the cause for 13 deaths between 2000 and 2011. The 13 victims were workers who had used methylene chloride products to refinish bathtubs.

In its weekly report, the CDC commented on the 13 deaths, saying:

“Each death occurred in a residential bathroom with inadequate ventilation. Protective equipment, including a respirator, either was not used or was inadequate to protect against methylene chloride vapor.’’

The report went on to say that the chemical “has been recognized as potentially fatal to furniture strippers and factory workers but has not been reported previously as a cause of death among bathtub refinishers.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explained that using the chemical in confined spaces that lack sufficient ventilation is quite dangerous. In the same report, it urged labor safety organizations and public health agencies to “communicate the extreme hazards” of using the product under the wrong conditions. The author of the report, Michigan State’s Kenneth Rosenman, suggested to leave the product out of bathrooms entirely, citing that the vapors are heavier than air and linger after applications. Rosenman went on to explain:

“To use products containing methylene chloride safely, work areas must be well-ventilated, and when levels of methylene chloride exceed recommended exposure limits, workers must use protective equipment. In a small bathroom, it is unlikely these products can be used safely.’’

Personal Injury Lawyers in New Jersey and Philadelphia

Without proper warning, 13 workers used a product to complete a job and ended up losing their lives. Thirteen people died to refinish bathtubs. Dangerous products and chemicals, such as methylene chloride, should always come with proper warnings and clear safety instructions. It should not take research studies executed after the fact to determine that a product is dangerous.

If you or a loved one have been injured by a dangerous or defective product, contact the New Jersey personal injury attorneys of Messa & Associates, P.C. for a free legal consultation. Call 1-800-MessaLaw or submit a free online inquiry.

Medical Malpractice Attorneys Take Issue With Physician Opinions on Honesty and Disclosure

Harvard Medical School, along with a number of other Massachusetts health institutions, executed a survey among doctors and medical professionals regarding their honesty with patients. The study and it’s findings were published in the medical journal Health Affairs. Unfortunately, medical malpractice attorneys aren’t shocked by some of the survey’s results.

Medical Malpractice Attorneys Concerned with Survey Results

philadelphia and new jersey medical malpractice attorneys, new jersey lawyers, medical malpractice lawyers, philadelphia medical malpractice The team of med students and medical professionals aimed to discover how honest doctors believe they should be, and in turn actually are, with their patients. The survey was carried out in 2009 and involved almost 1,900 practicing doctors from the United States.

While the majority of doctors and physicians believe that patients should always be told all of the truth, there was a substantial minority of practicing doctors that do not agree that patients need always know the whole truth about their treatment. This opinion and possible basis of practice is a direct violation of The Charter on Medical Professionalism, which insists on openness and honesty. The Charter was penned in 1999 by medical entities in both the US and Europe. It is argued by some that the charter, while not outwardly proclaiming to do so, aims to replace the Hippocratic Oath as a medical guideline for professionalism and patient safety. It is backed by over 100 professional organizations world wide, including the US Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.

The survey inquired as to how closely its participants followed the principles set forth in the Charter when it came to conveying information to patients. Authors of the Health Affairs article reported the following:

The vast majority of doctors believe they should be 100% honest with their patients regarding the pros and cons of certain medical treatments. That same majority also agrees that they should never reveal confidential patient information to unauthorized persons.

About one third of the doctors surveyed don’t believe it’s necessary to disclose serious medical errors to patients.

Almost one fifth of the doctors surveyed believe that lying to patients in certain situations is justified.

Forty percent of surveyed doctors believe it is unnecessary to habitually disclose information about their financial relationships with pharmaceutical or medical device companies.

About 1 out of every 10 doctors surveyed admitted to lying to at least one patient in the 12 months prior.

The article’s authors suggest that the survey results could mean a large gap between what patients know as true and what actually is. They wrote:

“(our findings raise concerns) about whether patient-centered care is broadly possible without more widespread physician endorsement of the core communication principles of openness and honesty with patients.”

Philadelphia and New Jersey Medical Malpractice Attorneys

Doctors take an oath to always act in the best interest of their patients; it is the most crucial part of their job. If you believe that you’ve been deceived by your physician, or that physician acted negligently in your treatment, contact the Philadelphia and New Jersey medical malpractice attorneys of Messa & Associates, P.C. Our attorneys are experienced and skilled in earning substantial compensation for injuries sustained due to medical errors. Call, toll-free, at 1-877-MessaLaw, or submit a free online inquiry for a free case evaluation.

If you would like to speak with someone immediately, simply click the link to your right that says “CHAT LIVE!” A representative will be able to help right now.

Nursing Home Abuse Attorneys Blog to Educate

If you have spent any time at all combing the internet for news and/or advice regarding nursing home abuse, you’ve no doubt stumbled upon Jonathon Rosenfeld’s Nursing Home Abuse Blog. Through his frequent updates and pertinent analysis, Rosenfeld has established a real and dependable source for information and guidance aimed at helping victims and their families attain justice for wrongs perpetrated at nursing homes, by home health aids, or even by other family members.

Nursing Home Abuse Blog References Messa & Mininno

Last week, Jonathon referenced the Messa & Associates Blog in a post about fellow law firms taking into their own hands public education regarding what is and is not considered acceptable treatment in nursing homes and long term care facilities. Blog contributors John Mininno and Joseph Messa have been representing injured nursing home patients for the past 10 years in hopes that their work against nursing homes and negligent caregivers would help the industry raise it’s standards and, in turn, protect our elderly community.

Abuse and negligence in nursing homes can often result in severe physical and emotional injuries and sometimes even death. Bedsores, unexplained bruises, weight loss, depression, and other unexplained symptoms could all be signs of abuse or negligence by the staff at a care facility.

Nursing Home Abuse Attorneys in New Jersey and Philadelphia

If your loved one is a resident of a nursing home and you suspect that the care they are receiving is negligent and/or abusive, contact the nursing home abuse attorneys from Messa & Associates for a free consultation. Call, toll-free, at 1-877-MessaLaw, or submit a free online inquiry.

Let the Philadelphia and New Jersey nursing home abuse attorneys of Messa & Associates earn you and your loved one the compensation you need and deserve.

Medical Malpractice Lawyers Win $2.5 Million

A jury awarded Amy Garcia, 29, and her medical malpractice lawyers
$2.5 million in her lawsuit against St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In 2007, Garcia suffered a miscarriage and lost her 14-week fetus. Dr. Norman Gove, an obstetrician and gynecologist, told Garcia she needed a dilation and curettage procedure. He told her it was a routine procedure and she would “be home by lunch.” “I was assured by the doctor that the procedure would be quick and that I would be out quickly,” said Garcia.

Unsupervised Resident’s Mistake Causes Permanent Damage

medical malpractice lawyers in NJ and PA Unknown to Garcia, a resident physician performed the procedure and dilated Garcia’s cervix and the uterus was then perforated. Dr. Gove did not properly supervise the resident. When ring forceps were inserted through the perforated uterus in order to remove the fetal remains, he grabbed a piece of bowel that snapped back. As a result of the mistake Garcia’s rectum and bowel were torn. Garcia then required an Ileostomy, where they created an opening on the surface of her skin to pass intestinal waste that is collected in a bag worn outside of her body. She wore this bag for three months after the procedure. She lost part of her bowl and rectum and still suffers from pain, scarring, and altered bowl patterns.

When asked if she knew a resident was going to perform the procedure, Garcia said:

“When the procedure was taking place I was only aware of Dr. Gove performing it. I was shocked to discover the resident had taken over after the procedure had taken place…I definitely now give more thought to the term ‘routine procedure’ and I urge anyone to think twice when being told the same. I know resident doctors need to learn, but when I have a choice I don’t think I would ever let another one perform any type of procedure on me after what happened.”

Medical Malpractice Lawyers in New Jersey and Philadelphia

If you or a family member have recently been the victim of medical negligence, it is possible that you would like to speak with our medical malpractice attorneys. Please contact the Mininno Law Office for a free case evaluation, or call for a free consultation at (856) 833-0600 in New Jersey, or 215-567-2380 in Philadelphia.

Medical Malpractice Attorneys Argue Many Cases in NYC

The country’s largest metropolitan area, New York City, was home to an enormous amount of medical malpractice lawsuits stemming from the actions of healthcare providers at public hospitals. Medical malpractice attorneys point out that much of the money paid out in damages came directly from taxpayers. Due to the negligence and malpractice of healthcare providers, 246 cases were completed in 2011 and the damage amounts are startling. The total number of payouts in New York City was up 5% to $135 million, $7 million more than the 2010 totals.

Two Shocking Cases from 2011

medical malpractice attorneys in nj and pa First, Damian Saul, 43, suffered a massive stroke while he waited for hours to see a physician at a city hospital. Upon his arrival, Saul informed a nurse that he was having trouble with his sight in one eye. This should have been recognized by the nurse as an initial sign of a stroke. The ensuing stroke left him almost completely paralyzed and he was unable to speak clearly. His medical malpractice attorneys reached a settlement of $5.5 million. His medical malpractice attorneyswere quoted as saying,

“they did nothing, whoever was doing the triage was incompetent, they just weren’t listening to him.”

Next, a 38 year old woman, who wished to remain anonymous, went to see a dentist to have her abscess drained. Unfortunately, her physician allowed her to be discharged from the hospital before requesting a culture test of the infected tissue. Had this test been requested, he would have recognized she suffered from an infection known as MRSA. Today, that cheek infection has led to her paralysis. The woman’s attorney, Sam Rosmarin, stated,

“The tragedy here is that this could have been avoided. Her complete dependence on others as a result of someone’s negligence is a horribly unfair existence.”

Medical Malpractice Attorneys in New Jersey and Philadelphia

If you or a family member have recently been the victim of medical negligence, it is possible that you would like to speak with our medical malpractice attorneys. Please contact the Mininno Law Office for a free case evaluation, or call for a free consultation at (856) 833-0600 in New Jersey, or (215) 567-2380 in Philadelphia.