Bedsores — also called pressure ulcers, pressure injuries, or decubitus ulcers — are among the clearest indicators of nursing home or hospital neglect. In nearly every case, bedsores are preventable with basic, well-established care: regular repositioning, adequate nutrition and hydration, proper skin care, and appropriate support surfaces. When a care facility allows a resident to develop Stage 3 or Stage 4 pressure injuries, it is almost always because the facility failed to provide the level of care that medical standards require.

The consequences of advanced bedsores are severe. They can penetrate through skin and tissue down to muscle and bone, leading to life-threatening infections including sepsis and osteomyelitis. Many patients require surgery, extended hospitalization, and months of wound care. Some do not survive.

Hughey Law Firm represents families across South Carolina — in Charleston, Mt. Pleasant, Greenville, Columbia, Myrtle Beach, and throughout the state — in bedsore injury cases against nursing homes, assisted living facilities, hospitals, and rehabilitation centers. Our attorneys work with wound care specialists, geriatricians, and nursing experts to prove exactly how the facility’s negligence caused your loved one’s injuries. Call us at (843) 881-8644 for a free, confidential consultation. We only get paid if you get paid.

Why Bedsores Happen in Care Facilities

Bedsores develop when sustained pressure cuts off blood flow to the skin and underlying tissue. In care facilities, this happens for reasons that are entirely within the facility’s control:

• Failure to reposition: Immobile or bed-bound residents must be repositioned at regular intervals (typically every two hours). When staff is understaffed or inattentive, residents are left in the same position for hours, causing tissue breakdown.
• Inadequate nutrition and hydration: Proper nutrition is essential for skin integrity and wound healing. Facilities that fail to ensure residents receive adequate food and fluids increase their risk of developing pressure injuries.
• Lack of proper support surfaces: Specialty mattresses, overlays, and cushions are standard interventions for residents at risk of pressure injuries. Facilities that fail to provide these devices are not meeting the standard of care.
• Failure to assess risk: Every resident should be assessed for pressure injury risk upon admission and at regular intervals. Facilities that skip or ignore these assessments cannot implement appropriate prevention protocols.
• Ignoring early signs: Stage 1 pressure injuries (non-blanchable redness) are a warning that requires immediate intervention. When staff fails to identify and respond to early-stage bedsores, they progress to more serious stages that cause permanent tissue damage.

Stages of Bedsores

Understanding the severity of your loved one’s bedsores is important for evaluating a potential legal claim:

• Stage 1: Intact skin with non-blanchable redness. The area may be painful, firm, or warmer than surrounding skin. This is a warning sign that requires immediate intervention.
• Stage 2: Partial-thickness skin loss involving the epidermis and/or dermis. The wound appears as a shallow open ulcer or blister.
• Stage 3: Full-thickness skin loss extending into subcutaneous tissue but not through underlying fascia. The wound may show visible fat tissue. Stage 3 bedsores represent a serious failure of care.
• Stage 4: Full-thickness tissue loss with exposed bone, tendon, or muscle. These are life-threatening injuries that carry high risks of sepsis, osteomyelitis, and death. Stage 4 bedsores in a care facility are strong evidence of prolonged, serious neglect.
• Unstageable: Wounds where the base is covered by dead tissue (slough or eschar), making it impossible to determine the true depth. These injuries are presumed to be at least Stage 3 and often Stage 4 once debrided.

Where Bedsore Injuries Occur

We handle bedsore negligence cases against all types of care providers in South Carolina:

• Nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities
• Assisted living facilities
• Hospitals and surgical recovery units
• Rehabilitation and long-term acute care facilities
• Hospice care programs

Regardless of the setting, the standard of care requires that providers assess patients for pressure injury risk and implement appropriate prevention measures.

Compensation Available in Bedsore Injury Cases

Bedsore injury cases can result in significant compensation, particularly when the injuries are advanced (Stage 3, Stage 4, or unstageable) or when they led to hospitalization, surgery, sepsis, or death. Recoverable damages include:

• Medical bills for wound care, surgery, hospitalization, and ongoing treatment
• Cost of transferring the patient to a different care facility
• Pain and suffering caused by the pressure injuries and their treatment
• Emotional distress experienced by the victim and their family
• Wrongful death damages if the bedsore injuries contributed to the patient’s death