Southern California Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog
When a loved one develops a large, painful bed sore in a nursing home, it is almost always a sign that something went terribly wrong. Families often feel a mix of anger, guilt, and confusion — and they want to know one thing: Can I sue a nursing home in California for allowing this to happen? The answer is yes. Under California law, bed sores are a preventable medical condition, and when they occur, they often indicate neglect.
Below is a clear, compassionate explanation of your rights and what to do next.
What a Bed Sore Really Means in a Nursing Home
A pressure ulcer (also called a bedsore or decubitus ulcer) does not appear out of nowhere. It forms when a resident is left in one position for too long, is not turned or repositioned, is dehydrated or malnourished, or is not properly assessed by staff.
In other words, large or worsening bed sores in nursing homes are almost never “just part of aging.” They are a classic red flag of poor staffing, inadequate monitoring, and systemic neglect.
California’s Elder Abuse and Dependent Adult Civil Protection Act allows families to sue for neglect when facilities fail to provide the most basic care to prevent harm.
Can You Sue for Bed Sores? Yes — And Here’s Why
You can bring a lawsuit when a nursing home’s neglect leads to:
- The development of a Stage II, III, or IV pressure ulcer
- The worsening of any existing pressure ulcer
- Infection, sepsis, amputation, or death resulting from pressure ulcers
- Emotional trauma or unnecessary pain and suffering
Courts in California recognize that pressure ulcers are preventable when proper care is provided. In one highly publicized California case, a jury awarded millions to the family of a resident who died from infected bed sores after repeated failures by staff to reposition and monitor her. Cases like these show that the legal system takes bed sore neglect seriously — and that families can win.
If you believe your loved one’s injury resulted from poor care, a nursing home bed sore lawyer or bed sore attorney can investigate staffing levels, charting, wound care protocols, and facility compliance with state regulations.
How Neglect Causes Bed Sores in California Facilities
Most bed sore lawsuits arise from:
- Chronic understaffing
- Failure to turn and reposition residents every two hours
- Ignoring early signs of skin breakdown
- Failure to provide adequate hydration and nutrition
- Not using pressure-relieving devices
- Delayed wound care treatment
- Poor infection control practices
These failures violate both federal law and California’s Title 22 nursing home regulations.
What Compensation Can You Recover?
A bed sore lawsuit can help your family recover damages for:
- Medical treatment and hospitalization
- Pain and suffering
- Wrongful death damages
- Attorney fees in certain elder neglect cases
- Punitive damages when the neglect was egregious
A nursing home bed sore lawyer will evaluate every component of the harm, including future complications and emotional trauma.
What You Should Do Right Now
If your loved one has developed a large bed sore, take these steps immediately:
- Photograph the wound — including size, depth, and any drainage.
- Request the full medical chart, including wound care notes, turning schedules, and skin assessments.
- Move your loved one to a safer environment if necessary.
- Report the facility to the California Department of Public Health.
- Speak with a nursing home bed sore attorney as soon as possible to preserve evidence and begin an investigation.
Early legal action can prevent the nursing home from altering records or claiming the bed sore was unavoidable.
Why Choose Nursing Home Law Group?
For more than 20 years, Nursing Home Law Group has represented families throughout Southern California, the San Francisco Bay Area, and across the state in cases involving severe bed sores, infections, amputations, and preventable deaths.
Our team understands the medical science, the regulatory framework, and the ways facilities cut corners. We have handled cases througout the State of California, and are considered a leading firm in the nursing home neglect space.
When you hire a nursing home bed sore lawyer, you need someone who will investigate staffing ratios, subpoena internal documents, question wound care nurses under oath, and hold corporate owners accountable.
That is the work we do every day.
Families trust us because we combine legal expertise with deep compassion for the residents who were harmed and the loved ones left grieving.
Take the Next Step
If your parent, spouse, or family member developed a bed sore in a nursing home, assisted living facility, or memory care unit, you deserve answers. One of our skilled nursing home bed sore attorney can uncover the truth and fight for accountability.
Contact Nursing Home Law Group today for a free, confidential consultation. We will investigate what happened, preserve the evidence, and aggressively pursue justice for your family.
You don’t have to face this alone. We are here to help.
