VETERANS SERVING VETERANS

Doctors may describe them as decubitus ulcers or pressure ulcers, but most of us know them as bedsores.  Bedsores are usually found on the hips or tailbone, or other bony areas on which people might lie or sit. When a person has a medical condition which confines them to bed or a chair, without sufficient shifts in that person’s position, they are at risk of suffering bedsores.

 

Bedsores can not only be painful, but – if not caught soon enough - they can lead to infection and other potentially disabling complications. Some bedsores never go away. The best way to prevent bedsores is frequent changes in position.

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Often, a person at risk of bedsores is in the care of medical professionals in a hospital or nursing home setting, and cannot change their position themselves. It is usually the duty of the medical professionals to help shift that person’s position.  If those professionals do not do so frequently enough, bedsores can result.

 

If that happens to you, you may be able to bring a negligence claim against those healthcare professionals. Negligence claims against the United States are governed by the Federal Torts Claims Act (the “FTCA”). It is a good idea to seek the assistance of an attorney experienced with the FTCA to help you with your claim.  It is also important that you do not wait. The FTCA can impose some strict time limits on filing claims.

 

Rawls Law Group has a great deal of experience pursuing claims under the FTCA, particularly in the realm of negligence committed by medical professionals. If you or a loved one have experienced bedsores at a VA facility (or other facility run by the U.S.), contact us to see if we can help.