Columbia Elder Abuse Attorneys

Elder abuse is one of the most predatory acts one can commit. The attorneys at Hughey Law Firm have made it our mission to get justice for victims of elder abuse, regardless of what criminal proceedings do or do not take place. Hiring a Columbia elder abuse lawyer from Hughey Law Firm allows you to hold liable parties accountable for your loved one’s mistreatment.

Our firm has spent years fighting for victims of mistreatment in nursing homes and elder care facilities. We will get to know your loved one, learn what they’ve been through, and seek a financial recovery that covers their damages.

Why Trust Hughey Law Firm to Seek Justice for Your Loved One in Columbia?

Hughey Law Firm handles several practice areas, but elder abuse and neglect cases have a special place in our firm’s mission. We have represented elderly clients for years and feel a duty to get justice for the most vulnerable in our South Carolina communities.

If you hire Hughey Law Firm for your elder abuse case in Columbia, you should anticipate:

• An experienced team of attorneys: Whether your loved one suffered abuse in a nursing home, assisted living facility, hospital, or another type of facility, our team is ready to hold liable parties accountable. Our attorneys have handled many types of elder abuse cases, and we understand every legal and practical aspect of this practice area.
• An accomplished firm: Clients often measure a law firm by the financial recoveries they have gotten in the past, which is completely fair. Our field is all about results, and Hughey Law Firm has recovered more than $205 million for our clients over the years.
• Compassionate client service: Our attorneys truly serve our clients. You’ll experience our service-oriented culture through the compassion we show you. And while you get nothing but compassion and respect, we will adopt an aggressive, relentless tact towards those who harmed your loved one.
• A team that knows and cares about South Carolina: The Palmetto State is our home turf. We have a personal connection to fellow South Carolinians, including those who reside and work in Columbia. It is our mission to make South Carolina a safer state, and holding liable parties accountable for elder abuse helps us work toward that goal.
• Financial support for your case: Hughey Law Firm’s record of victories has put us on solid footing. We can fund the entire cost of clients’ cases, and that is what we’ll do for your loved one’s elder abuse case in Columbia.

Hughey Law Firm knows the law, cares about our clients, and desires to win every case we accept.

Our Case Results Include Many Recoveries for Elderly Victims of Abuse in South Carolina

Hughey Law Firm’s case results include several verdicts and settlements related to elder abuse.

We have secured:

1. $1 million for a client who suffered mistreatment in a nursing home
2. $875,000 for a client who suffered broken bones in an assisted living facility
3. $750,000 for a client who suffered repeated attacks in a nursing home
4. $500,000 for a client who suffered pressure sores due to inadequate care in an assisted living facility

Elder abuse cases are tough to stomach. It is heartbreaking seeing our clients’ symptoms of abuse and neglect, and their stories of mistreatment are often gut-wrenching. This only motivates the Hughey Law Firm team to get a financial recovery that helps the client move forward while holding liable parties accountable.

How Our Firm Will Seek Justice for Your Loved One

Our legal team serving Columbia will handle every step of your elder abuse case, including:

• Identifying all liable parties: Nursing homes and assisted living facilities are generally liable when a resident suffers abuse under their watch. Other parties, including individual abusers, may also be liable.
• Securing evidence of abuse: We will secure any witness accounts, video footage, victim accounts, logs and records, and other evidence that suggests abuse occurred. We may also hire experts to testify about symptoms of abuse that your loved one has displayed.
• Documenting your loved one’s damages: Medical records, images of injuries, expert accounts, and invoices for relocation-related services may prove your loved one’s damages. Because each case of elder abuse is unique, the documentation of abuse varies from case to case.
• Calculating the cost of your loved one’s damages: Hughey Law Firm will calculate a definitive cost for your loved one’s damages. This includes damages they’ve already suffered and likely future damages.
• Completing a trial, if we need to: If it is in your loved one’s interests to take the case to trial, we will. Though trials are less common than settlements, Hughey Law Firm follows the best path for our clients.

Our team also handles the finer details of your case, including paperwork and communications. Every detail of an elder abuse case is critical, which is why you may want to hire a firm whose sole job is completing cases successfully.

When Has Someone Suffered Abuse?

There is a fine line between neglect and abuse. Remember that even if your loved one’s treatment in a Columbia elder care facility doesn’t qualify as abuse, it may qualify as neglect. Neither abuse nor neglect is acceptable, and both are grounds for legal action.

Elder abuse involves any knowing, intentional, or negligent act by a caregiver or any other person that causes harm or a serious risk of harm to a vulnerable adult.

The types of elder abuse include:

1. Emotional abuse: We will also consider psychological abuse in this category. These types of abuse can include verbal threats of violence, threats of withholding caregiving services, name-calling, ignoring, and other acts that intentionally cause distress.
2. Physical abuse: One of the more obvious and provable forms of abuse, physical abuse can include slapping, burning, punching, pinching, shoving, and other physical acts that cause harm. Physical abuse can be especially harmful because it also causes psychological distress.
3. Sexual abuse: Any inappropriate sexual contact without an elderly person’s consent qualifies as sexual abuse. Caregivers who bathe an elderly person must exercise the greatest discretion and only engage in appropriate touching.
4. Financial abuse: Forms of elder financial abuse include theft of property, theft of funds, forcing the elderly person to give up their money or property, and overbilling.

The NIA also covers neglect, which is the failure to provide basic caregiving services. Failure to administer medication, help a patient use the restroom, bathe and rotate the patient, administer fluids, and assist with eating are all forms of neglect.

Some forms of abuse are more recognizable than others. If you have any suspicion that your loved one has suffered abuse (or neglect) in a nursing home or assisted living facility, Hughey Law Firm can get answers to your questions.

Our Firm Helps Clients Discover the Truth About Their Loved Ones’ Abuse

Most clients do not approach Hughey Law Firm with complete documentation of their loved one’s abuse. In many cases, clients simply have suspicions or partial information about their loved one’s mistreatment. Our team conducts thorough investigations to find the whole truth for our clients.

To detail any mistreatment your loved one has suffered, we can:

• Collect your loved one’s medical records
• Speak with your loved one compassionately about any abuse they may have suffered
• Rely on experts to spot potential signs of abuse or neglect
• File a letter of spoliation that requires the nursing home or assisted living facility to preserve evidence of abuse or neglect

Our attorneys regularly lead elder abuse cases. We remain in frequent contact with qualified experts and have learned about the signs of abuse and neglect. We are ready to remove all doubt about whether your loved one has suffered mistreatment.

While we never want to see anyone suffer abuse or neglect, we know that elders in Columbia do not always receive the care they deserve. When we discover that someone has suffered abuse, we do everything in our power to get justice for the victim.

What to Do After Discovering That a Loved One Has Suffered Abuse

Your loved one’s safety is paramount. If you have not already removed your loved one from a facility where they may have suffered mistreatment, you may want to relocate them as soon as possible.

If it is not possible to relocate your loved one immediately, you may:

1. Alert administrators at the elder care facility that you suspect mistreatment, which may lead the facility to take extra protective measures
2. Spend as much time as possible around your loved one.
3. Try and have other loved ones spend time with your elderly loved one.
4. Demand that the facility update you on your loved one’s health and safety

Once you have ensured your loved one’s safety, you should consider hiring a personal injury attorney from Hughey Law Firm. We can advise you on the legal aspects of your case and any measures that may help keep your loved one safe.

Recoverable Damages in Elder Abuse Cases in Columbia

Elder abuse can cause both temporary and lasting damages, including:

Medical Expenses

Any medical costs associated with your loved one’s abuse should be recoverable. This includes any services required to diagnose, treat, and rehabilitate abuse-related injuries and illnesses.

Elderly individuals are often susceptible to slow healing, infection, and other health complications. We will consider this as we value your loved one’s abuse-related medical expenses.

Pain and Suffering

Many elder abuse symptoms can prove long-term, including:

• Personality changes, including social withdrawal
• Emotional instability
• Persistent fear
• Depression
• Seemingly unprovoked agitation

These are just a few types of pain and suffering that may result from elder abuse. We will work with mental health experts to identify all psychological and emotional symptoms that your loved one has experienced.

Relocation Costs

If your loved one had received proper care in their elder care facility, they might not have needed to move. Therefore, the negligent facility should cover the cost of your loved one’s relocation to a new facility.

Mental Health Treatment Costs

An abuse victim may need counseling, exposure therapy, medication, and other treatments to alleviate symptoms of abuse. Our team will work to help your loved one get the help they need and determine the cost of all necessary treatment.

Hughey Law Firm knows that our clients are people. Damages are often complex because humans are complex, and each victim responds differently to abuse. We will take a compassionate, comprehensive approach to determine your loved one’s damages. This way, we’ll be certain to identify every type of harm that abuse has caused your loved one.

Call Hughey Law Firm Today for a Free Consultation

A Columbia elder abuse lawyer from Hughey Law Firm is ready to fight for your loved one right now. Even if you still have questions about whether abuse occurred, an experienced personal injury lawyer in Columbia is ready to assist you. When in doubt, err on the side of protecting your loved one.

Contact us at Hughey Law Firm today at (843) 881-8644 for your free consultation. Do not wait to call, as the statute of limitations and related legal deadlines may limit our window for filing your loved one’s case. Get started right away so you can protect your loved one’s well-being and right to compensation.

Schedule A Free Consultation Today!

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Client Testimonial

“Thank you Hughey Law Firm! It was a pleasure to work with you on my case! From the beginning, every contact I had with your firm was professional, kind, helpful, and painless! I always felt kept in the loop, and important to you as a client. If you are looking for a personal injury attorney with integrity, I would highly recommend Hughey Law Firm!”

Rating: 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Read more on Google.
Karen C.