Holding negligent nursing homes and assisted living facilities accountable in Tampa & Central Florida.
When a vulnerable elder or hospital patient is left bedridden or wheelchair-bound, facility staff have a medical and legal duty to prevent tissue breakdown. Severe pressure sores, also known as bedsores, decubitus ulcers, or pressure injuries, are rarely accidental. In most cases, Stage 3, Stage 4, or unstageable bedsores are physical evidence of nursing home neglect, understaffing, and failure to meet Florida's required standard of care.
At Fiol & Morros Law Group, our Tampa nursing home abuse attorneys investigate facilities that allow residents to suffer painful, life-threatening pressure wounds, sepsis, and osteomyelitis. Located in Downtown Tampa, we represent families across Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Pasco Counties and throughout Central Florida.
Call (813) 223-6773 or contact us online for a free, confidential case evaluation.
Yes, in most cases. Under Florida Statute § 400.022 (Nursing Home Residents' Rights) and Florida Statute § 429.28 (Assisted Living Facility Residents' Rights), long-term care facilities must provide adequate and appropriate healthcare, protective support, and clean living conditions.
When a facility accepts an immobile or high-risk resident, Florida Administrative Code (FAC 59A-4) requires staff to perform a standardized risk assessment (such as the Braden Scale) and implement an individualized care plan. Preventive measures required by medical standards include:
When nursing homes cut staff to maximize profits, basic care routines like turning schedules are often the first to be skipped. An advanced pressure sore is far more often the result of facility negligence than natural decline.
Pressure injuries develop when continuous pressure and friction restrict blood supply to the skin and underlying tissue, causing localized tissue death (necrosis). Medical professionals classify pressure ulcers into four stages, plus unstageable wounds and Deep Tissue Injuries (DTI).
Full-thickness tissue loss. Fat may be visible, but bone, tendon, or muscle is not exposed. Slough or eschar may be present, along with undermining or tunneling. Stage 3 wounds often require debridement and advanced wound therapy.
Full-thickness tissue loss with exposed bone, tendon, or muscle. Stage 4 injuries frequently lead to severe complications:
When served with a Notice of Intent to Initiate Litigation under Florida Statute § 400.0233, nursing home defense attorneys and insurers often rely on the same arguments:
| Nursing Home Defense Claim | How Fiol & Morros Law Group Responds |
|---|---|
| "The bedsore was clinically unavoidable." | We audit the resident's chart against the Braden Scale. If repositioning logs are missing, incomplete, or copied word-for-word across shifts, that is strong evidence preventive care was never delivered. |
| "The resident had organ failure or poor circulation." | Medical conditions increase risk, but they do not remove the facility's obligation to turn, feed, and protect the resident. We work with wound care specialists to show whether proper care would have prevented the breakdown. |
| "The resident refused to be turned." | Facilities must document refusals in detail, notify the attending physician, and use alternative offloading strategies. Unsupported claims of refusal are often exposed during depositions. |
Our team moves quickly to secure records before they can be altered or lost:
Bedsores that develop in a hospital or rehab center may instead fall under medical malpractice. Looking for help with bed bug bites instead? See our Florida bed bug lawyer page.
Yes. Stage 4 pressure ulcers are widely considered preventable when basic standards of care are followed. If a loved one develops a Stage 4 wound in a nursing home or assisted living facility, you may have strong grounds for a claim under Florida Statute § 400.022.
There is no single average. Value depends on wound severity, medical expenses, permanent impairment, and whether the neglect resulted in death. Cases involving Stage 3 or Stage 4 bedsores, surgical debridement, or fatal sepsis may involve compensation for past and future medical costs, pain and suffering, and in some cases punitive damages.
Nursing homes (Fla. Stat. Chapter 400) provide 24/7 skilled nursing care and are held to strict medical standards. Assisted living facilities (Fla. Stat. Chapter 429) provide custodial care. If an ALF keeps a resident whose skin breakdown exceeds the care it is licensed to provide, the ALF can be held liable for failing to transfer the resident to a skilled facility.
You can file a complaint with the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) online or by calling 1-888-419-3456. Speaking with an experienced Tampa nursing home abuse attorney also helps make sure medical records are preserved while state investigators review the facility.
If your family member suffered a Stage 3, Stage 4, or unstageable pressure injury in a Tampa-area nursing home, rehab center, or hospital, do not wait. Early investigation is essential to securing electronic audit logs and state inspection records.
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