Wrongful deaths due to medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the United States. Johns Hopkins says more than 250,000 people die in the U.S. every year due to medical errors. These deaths account for about 9.5% of all deaths in the United States every year.

While the reported deaths occurred across various medical facilities, wrongful deaths are far too common in rehabilitation facilities.

Rehabilitation facilities are supposed to be places where patients go to get better, but how can they do that if they aren’t receiving the proper care?

Plus, many rehabilitation patients are elderly, and those over 65 are 12% more likely to experience medical malpractice than their younger counterparts.

Other studies looked more deeply at the numbers, determining just how prevalent wrongful deaths are. These studies looked at hospitals rather than rehabilitation centers, but the numbers are likely similar.

One study found that 2.9% of hospital admissions resulted in an “adverse event,” aka “injuries caused by medical management.” Broken down further, the study found that 58% of those “adverse events” were due to preventable errors. The second study found similar numbers.

The above two studies are a few decades old, but the statistics from 2024 are just as alarming, meaning things haven’t improved. Forbes claims that avoidable errors occur in 3-15% of “medical interventions.” Likewise, medication errors are common causes of wrongful deaths, with insulin and morphine experiencing the most errors.

 

Deaths due to medical error often occur because the staff isn’t trained well enough or they make an “error in judgment or care.” Wrongful deaths also occur largely because medical staff are human. Regardless of how caring, careful, and trained they are, it’s still possible to make mistakes.

 

Common Causes Of Wrongful Deaths In Rehabilitation Facilities

The most common causes of non-natural deaths in rehabilitation facilities are due to neglect, abuse, or even harm caused by a fellow resident. A wrongful death is one in which the resident would likely still be alive if they had received proper care.

Wrongful deaths often occur because of preventable falls, medication errors, or because employees ignore medical issues like sepsis and pressure ulcers. They can occur if employees fail to provide residents with the right food and drink, which leads to dehydration and malnutrition. They may also occur when residents harm each other and employees fail to stop the abuse.

Former Congresswoman Develops Fatal Infection Due To Medical Negligence

Former Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson died in the Baylor Scott & White Institute for Rehabilitation after she contracted an infection due to medical negligence.

Johnson had back surgery in September 2023 and came to the institute for rehabilitation.

Johnson’s son says he came to the rehabilitation institute one day to visit his mother and found her lying in her feces. She was also pushing the call button for help, but no one came. The son went to find help, and nurses cleaned Johnson up after some time.

Unfortunately, Johnson developed an infection after sitting in her feces, which got into her surgical site. It is clear that she died from her infection, which may have been prevented if the rehabilitation institute’s staff had responded to Johnson’s calls for help earlier.

Woman Dies After Nurse Mixes Up Patient’s “Full Code” Status With Her Roommate’s “Do Not Resuscitate” Status

Judith Englehart, a 77-year-old woman from West Hartford, CT, died in September 2023 after a nurse mixed up Englehart’s resuscitation orders. Englehart suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, but was only meant to be in rehabilitation for a short stay.

The nursing supervisor on duty the night of Englehart’s death got Englehart’s orders mixed up with her roommate’s. She believed Englehart had a “do not resuscitate” order. However, Englehart was a “full code patient,” meaning she wanted all effort to be taken to save her life if she became unresponsive.

The nursing supervisor prevented staff from performing CPR, believing that Englehart had a “do not resuscitate” order. First responders at the scene demanded Englehart’s paperwork, which stated that she was actually a full code patient. They immediately began CPR, but too much time had already passed, and they were unable to revive Englehart.

Killer Nurse Takes The Lives Of At Least Two Patients

Heather Pressdee, a Pennsylvania nurse, is accused of killing at least two patients with lethal doses of insulin. She may have been involved in at least 17 other patient’s deaths.

Pressdee was “fired or forced to resign from ten local medical facilities in four years.” Yet, Sunnyview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center hired her anyway, resulting in the death of Nicholas Cymbol, who was only 43 years old.

Nurses working under Pressdee say she was highly abusive to Cymbol and told him “he was going to be the next one to die anyway.”

Though the nurse’s actions were clearly intentional, the facilities employing her were negligent at best. They overlooked her track record and continued to offer her new jobs.

Other Sunnyview staff even voiced their concerns about Pressdee, but Sunnyview allowed her to keep her job. Even worse, Pressdee wasn’t just a nurse but a unit manager, meaning she had far more power than many other employees.

 

The Bottom Line

Although wrongful deaths occur in rehabilitation facilities, they don’t have to happen to you or your loved one.

Residents and their loved ones should be proactive in keeping themselves and their loved ones safe.

Ask as many questions as possible, including any prescribed treatments’ benefits, disadvantages, and side effects.

If you’re unsure or uncomfortable with anything, get a second opinion. If you are the resident, have a trusted friend or family member be there to act as your advocate to help you get the best care possible. If you are the loved one of someone in a rehabilitation facility, be that advocate for them.

As medicine advances, hopefully, medical malpractice will become less common. However, even the most well-intentioned medical staff can make mistakes. Always advocate for yourself and speak up if something feels wrong.

 

Rehab and Nursing Home Wrongful Death Lawyer Los Angeles

It’s heart-wrenching to hear this sad, true stories. We cannot wait for justice to trickle through the legal system while our loved ones lose their lives to negligence. If your family has suffered a loss from what you believe is negligence in a detox, rehab or nursing facility, we want to hear from you now. Please contact us for a 100% free consultation.