Can I Sue a Nursing Home in San Diego for A Nursing Home Death?

Losing a parent is devastating. Losing them under suspicious circumstances in a San Diego nursing home is something no family should ever have to experience. When a facility that promised safety and care instead delivers neglect and harm, the grief becomes mixed with anger, confusion, and guilt. Many families from San Diego, Chula Vista, Oceanside, Escondido, and Carlsbad contact a San Diego elder neglect and abuse lawyer because something “didn’t feel right” about the way their loved one died.

You are not alone. And yes — in many cases, you can sue a nursing home in San Diego for neglect that led to your parent’s death.

California law offers strong protections for elders. If the facility failed to provide the basic care your loved one needed, your family may have a wrongful death claim, an elder abuse claim, or both.

Neglect occurs when a facility fails to meet the basic needs of its residents. It is not a simple mistake. It is a pattern of carelessness, understaffing, or indifference that puts residents at risk.

Common forms of nursing home neglect include:

• Severe pressure sores or infected wounds
• Dehydration or malnutrition
• Repeated falls or fractures
• Ignored medical conditions or delayed hospital transfers
• Medication errors and overdoses
• Lack of monitoring in dementia residents who wander or elope
• Physical or emotional abuse by staff or other residents

In many cases, families report that the facility downplayed injuries, failed to notify them when their parent declined, or charted information that simply did not match reality.

When these failures cause a resident’s death, a San Diego elder neglect and abuse attorney can pursue legal action on behalf of the family.

Yes. If neglect or abuse contributed to your parent’s death, your family has the right to bring a wrongful death claim. This type of case allows surviving family members to seek compensation for

• Loss of companionship and support
• Funeral and burial expenses
• Loss of financial support
• Emotional distress

In addition, California’s Elder Abuse Act allows for enhanced damages when the neglect was reckless or involved a conscious disregard for your loved one’s safety. These laws exist to hold facility owners accountable and deter future neglect.

A San Diego elder neglect and abuse lawyer will investigate staffing levels, training records, chart entries, incident reports, and witness statements to uncover what truly happened.

In more than twenty years of handling these cases, Nursing Home Law Group has seen patterns repeat across nursing homes in San Diego County. The most common causes of preventable deaths include:

• Undiagnosed infections, including sepsis
• Falls leading to head injuries
• Aspiration pneumonia from poor supervision
• Pressure sores that become life threatening
• Medication overdoses or missed medications
• Delays in calling 911 or transferring a declining resident

These are not unforeseeable tragedies. They are the predictable result of too few staff, poor training, and decisions made to cut costs instead of protect residents.

You do not need certainty. You simply need concern. Here are immediate steps that protect your family’s rights

• Ask for the full medical chart and the facility’s internal incident reports.
• Document everything you were told, including dates, times, and who spoke to you.
• Request death certificates, medical examiner findings, and hospital records.
• Contact a San Diego elder neglect and abuse attorney before the facility changes or destroys records.
• Early legal involvement ensures evidence is preserved and the truth is uncovered.

For more than two decades, Nursing Home Law Group has represented families throughout San Diego County - from Downtown and Hillcrest to Chula Vista, Oceanside, Escondido, Carlsbad, and beyond. We focus exclusively on nursing home neglect, assisted living abuse, wrongful death, and elder rights litigation.

Families choose us because:

• We know how to uncover what really happened
• We work with top medical and elder care experts
• We have taken on major corporate nursing home chains and won
• We approach every case with compassion and relentless dedication

When you hire us, you gain a team that will not be intimidated by corporate ownership groups or their insurance companies. You gain advocates who fight for your parent’s dignity and your family’s justice.

If your parent died in a San Diego nursing home and you suspect neglect or abuse, you deserve answers. You deserve accountability. And you deserve a law firm with the experience, compassion, and strength to uncover the truth.

Contact the San Diego elder neglect and abuse attorneys at Nursing Home Law Group for a free and confidential consultation. We will guide you through your options, investigate the case, and stand with your family every step of the way.

Your loved one mattered. Their story matters. And we are here to fight for them.