On March 11, 2020, the COVID-19 Coronavirus was officially declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). Prior to this declaration, the U.S. government started posting information about a potential contagion that presented pneumonia-like symptoms as early as February 6, 2020.
By February 11, 2020, the Center for Disease Control had started issuing guidelines to medical care facilities, especially those with high-risk patients like nursing homes.
If you or your loved one has been diagnosed with COVID-19 while you were receiving care at a nursing home or while you were working at a nursing home, you may be entitled to compensation if the proper precautions were not in place to give you protection from this disease.
If your loved one has passed away as a result of contracting COVID-19 while working in a nursing home or while as a patient in a nursing home, you are encouraged to contact a wrongful death attorney to determine if you have the right to seek compensation for your loss.
Nursing Home Coronavirus Deaths Higher Than National Average
The rate at which COVID-19 is affecting people that are in nursing homes or work at nursing homes is astonishing. The rapid spread of this virus in a nursing home setting has led the White House to establish specific guidelines for reporting coronavirus at nursing home facilities.
With so many people being infected at these facilities, you must stop and ask if the nursing homes are using their best practices for stopping the spread of the virus?
Are nursing homes:
- Providing gloves and masks to protect employees and patients?
- Are the homes enforcing the use of protective equipment?
- Are patients in close proximity to each other instead of the distance needed to avoid contamination?
- Are sanitation efforts being enforced?
- Has social distancing been implemented to the best possible extent?
- Have employees been tested for coronavirus?
- Have diagnosed patients been quarantined?
- Have extra efforts been put into place to stop the spread of the virus, such as extra cleaning and reduced visitations to the facility?
Failure to take these and other precautionary steps to spread the COVID-19 virus places employees and patients at risk and is an act of negligence.
Compensation Available For Contracting Coronavirus At Nursing Home
If it is determined that the nursing home facility acted negligently and you contracted COVID 19 as a result of that negligence, you may be entitled to one or more of the following types of compensation:
All medical costs associated with your treatment for COVID-19 and any associated complications will be included in your compensation. If future medical care is necessary, your attorney will seek benefits to cover these expenses as well.
Any wages lost due to missed time at work from coronavirus will be included in your compensation. If you were entitled to other benefits paid by your employer that you could not receive because you were off from work, your attorney might also seek benefits to cover these losses.
If you are unable to return to work because of complications from coronavirus, or if you will only be able to return at limited capacity, your lawyer will include future earnings in your compensation package.
If you have had other expenses that were directly related to you contracting the coronavirus, your attorney may include this as part of your settlement. Some of these expenses may include paying to sanitize your home and vehicle, purchasing special supplies, and having to pay for services that you normally perform around your home while you were sick.
Pain and suffering is a non-economic loss that will vary by case. Your personal injury attorney will discuss how this type of compensation applies to your specific case and the amount they will seek.
Other forms of compensation may be available to you. Your attorney will discuss with you all forms of compensation that may be available to you based on the facts of your case.
Schedule A Free Consultation With A Personal Injury Attorney
The COVID-19 pandemic has been traumatic in so many ways. If you have contracted this virus while working in a nursing home setting or while you were a patient, you may have the right to seek compensation.
You are encouraged to speak with one of our attorneys about your case. We assure you that all safety standards are in place to protect you from being exposed to this virus again while dealing with members of our staff.
If you believe the reason you have contracted COVID-19 is a direct result of your interactions with a nursing home, call for a free consultation with South Florida’s most trusted personal injury attorneys.
What Should You Do If You Contracted COVID-19 At a Nursing Home Facility?
If you have been diagnosed with COVID-19 while being a patient in a nursing home or while working at a nursing home, you should take the following steps:
- Seek immediate medical care
- Inform care provider of anyone you have been in contact with that may have been exposed to the virus
- Follow all medical care instructions
- Sanitize your home and vehicle when your health allows
- Contact a personal injury attorney if you believe that you caught COVID-19 as a result of negligent actions at a nursing home facility
