Nursing home residents deserve safe, competent care. When facilities cut corners on staffing, ignore medical needs, or allow abuse to go unreported, the consequences for residents can be severe and sometimes fatal. Broken bones from unattended falls, bedsores from being left immobile for hours, dehydration, malnutrition, infections, overmedication, and emotional harm are not just unfortunate outcomes — they are signs of negligence that South Carolina law allows families to challenge.

Hughey Law Firm represents families across South Carolina in nursing home abuse and neglect cases, including in Charleston, Mt. Pleasant, Greenville, Columbia, Myrtle Beach, Florence, and Spartanburg. We have recovered over $300 million in verdicts and settlements across all practice areas, and our founding attorney Nathan Hughey spent years as an insurance defense lawyer representing the very facilities and insurance companies we now hold accountable. That inside knowledge of how nursing homes and their insurers operate gives our clients a significant advantage. Call us today at (843) 881-8644, live chat with us here, or complete the contact form on our website. All consultations are free and confidential, and we only get paid if you get paid.

Common Signs of Nursing Home Abuse & Neglect

If your loved one is in a nursing home and you have noticed any of the following, the facility may be failing in its duty of care:

• Bedsores (pressure ulcers): Stage 3 and Stage 4 bedsores are almost always preventable with proper repositioning and skin care. Their presence is strong evidence of neglect.
• Unexplained falls and fractures: Hip fractures, broken wrists, and head injuries from falls often result from inadequate supervision, understaffing, or failure to implement fall-prevention plans.
• Dehydration and malnutrition: Sudden weight loss, dry skin, cracked lips, and sunken eyes can indicate that staff is not ensuring residents receive adequate food and fluids.
• Medication errors: Overmedication (chemical restraint), missed doses, and wrong medications can cause serious harm, including organ damage and cognitive decline.
• Unexplained bruises, burns, or welts: These may indicate physical abuse by staff or other residents.
• Infections and poor hygiene: Urinary tract infections, sepsis, and skin infections can result from inattention to basic hygiene needs.
• Emotional withdrawal or fearfulness: Sudden changes in mood, anxiety around certain staff, or reluctance to speak openly can be signs of emotional or verbal abuse.
• Wandering and elopement injuries: Residents with dementia or cognitive impairment who leave the facility unsupervised may suffer serious injury or death.

Types of Nursing Home Abuse Cases We Handle

• Physical Abuse: Hitting, slapping, kicking, pushing, improper use of restraints, and rough handling during transfers or bathing
• Neglect: Failure to provide adequate food, water, hygiene, medical treatment, mobility assistance, or supervision
• Emotional Abuse: Verbal threats, intimidation, isolation, humiliation, and deliberate infliction of fear or distress
• Sexual Abuse: Any non-consensual sexual contact with a resident, including unwanted touching, exposure, or assault

Why Families Choose Hughey Law Firm for Nursing Home Cases

When a nursing home harms your loved one, the facility’s corporate owners and their insurance companies will fight aggressively to minimize your claim. You need attorneys who know exactly how to fight back.

• Inside knowledge of the defense playbook: Founding attorney Nathan Hughey previously represented nursing homes and their insurers as a defense lawyer. He knows their strategies for deflecting blame, concealing records, and undervaluing claims — and he uses that knowledge against them.
• Deep investigation capability: We review staffing logs, state inspection reports, resident care plans, medical records, and surveillance footage to build cases that expose exactly how the facility failed your loved one.
• Relationships with medical experts: Our team works with geriatric medicine specialists, wound care experts, nursing standards consultants, and other professionals who can testify about what should have happened versus what actually happened.
• Proven results in care facility cases: We have recovered millions of dollars specifically in nursing home and assisted living abuse cases, with multiple recoveries exceeding $1 million.

Compensation Available in Nursing Home Abuse Lawsuits

The physical, emotional, and financial toll of elder abuse adds up fast, and South Carolina law allows families to pursue compensation that reflects the full weight of that harm. It is not uncommon for these cases to reach well into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, particularly when facilities engaged in willful neglect or repeated failures of care.

• Medical bills for treating injuries sustained because of abuse or neglect
• Cost of transferring the patient to another medical or care facility
• Therapy and physical rehabilitation
• Reimbursement for damaged or stolen belongings
• Lost income or other profits
• Funeral expenses in wrongful death cases
• Pain and suffering the victim experienced (non-economic damages)
• Emotional distress experienced by the victim and their family

Reporting Nursing Home Abuse in South Carolina

If you suspect a loved one is being abused or neglected, act quickly. South Carolina law requires that suspected abuse be reported within 24 hours. Here is who to contact:

• Nursing homes, assisted living facilities, or community residential care facilities: Long Term Care Ombudsman: 1-800-868-9095
• Residential facilities operated by the Department of Mental Health or Department of Disabilities and Special Needs: SLED Special Victims Unit: 1-866-200-6066
• Elders living at home or in the community: Adult Protective Services (DSS): 1-888-227-3487 (1-888-CARE4US)
• Identity theft or financial scams targeting an elder: SC Department of Consumer Affairs: 1-800-922-1594

If your loved one is in immediate danger, call 911.

When you notice signs of abuse or neglect, document everything you can. Take photos of injuries, write down dates and details of what you observed, and keep records of any conversations with facility staff. That documentation becomes critical evidence in litigation.