Nursing Home Wrongful Death Lawyer for Cincinnati, Hamilton County, & Ohio

Losing a family member in Cincinnati is never easy, but when their death results from nursing home negligence or abuse, it can be even more devastating—especially when it could have been prevented.

As a nursing home wrongful death lawyer, I and my firm fight for families in Cincinnati, Hamilton County, and surrounding areas who have lost loved ones due to nursing home negligence. Our goal is to hold these facilities fully accountable. Legal action not only brings justice and financial compensation but can also prevent other unnecessary deaths in the future, so no other family has to suffer the same tragedy.

If you believe a nursing home’s negligence led to the wrongful death of your loved one, the Nancy C. Iler Law Firm is here to help. We handle nursing home wrongful death cases throughout Ohio, including Cincinnati, Dayton, Cleveland, Columbus, and Springfield.

What Constitutes Nursing Home Negligence?

Nursing homes have a legal duty to provide proper care for residents. When they fail in (or breach) this duty—either by doing something harmful (e.g., administering the wrong medication) or neglecting necessary care (e.g., failing to help a resident move to prevent bedsores)—they can be held legally responsible for injury or death that follows.

While this may sound like legal jargon, here are two common examples:

Examples of Nursing Home Negligence – Pressure Sores and Choking

Pressure Sores (Bedsores) Leading to Death. A bedridden resident must be repositioned regularly to prevent bedsores (also known as pressure sores). If staff fails to turn the resident properly, severe pressure sores can develop. These injuries can lead to fatal infections like sepsis. In this case, the nursing home could be liable for wrongful death.
Choking Due to Improper Feeding. If a resident has difficulty swallowing after a stroke, they should receive a medical assessment to determine their dietary needs. If the nursing home fails to perform this assessment and feeds the resident solid food, resulting in choking and death, they may be held legally responsible.

At the Nancy C. Iler Law Firm, we help clients uncover the truth about their loved one’s death and ensure justice is served. A nursing home abuse lawyer can thoroughly investigate the circumstances surrounding a wrongful death.

Is the Nursing Home Liable for a Resident’s Death? The Role of Medical Experts

Proving nursing home liability in a wrongful death case requires more than just showing that a resident passed away. The legal argument must demonstrate that the death was preventable and caused by negligence—meaning that the nursing home failed to meet an accepted standard of care.

How Medical Experts Establish Liability

During the trial process, medical experts (often physicians) play a critical role in carefully reviewing the resident’s medical records, physical condition, and the care they should have received. Their testimony helps establish:

The resident’s pre-existing medical conditions and limitations before the injury or death.
The standard of care required based on those conditions.
How the nursing home failed to meet this standard.
How this failure directly led to the resident’s injury or death.

For example, in the choking-related case above, medical experts would review the resident’s history and determine whether a proper dietary assessment should have been conducted. If the nursing home failed to conduct this medical assessment, ignored warning signs, or neglected proper care, leading to the resident being fed solid food despite the known risk, the facility could be held legally responsible for their death.

By presenting clear medical evidence and expert testimony at trial, we hope to demonstrate that the resident’s death was not simply an unfortunate event, but a preventable tragedy caused by the nursing home’s negligence.

How Many Residents Are Injured or Die from Nursing Home Negligence?

As of 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported over 15,300 nursing homes across the U.S., with more than 1.6 million licensed beds. Approximately 70.3% of these facilities are for-profit businesses.

While there is no exact figure for wrongful deaths caused by nursing home negligence, estimates suggest thousands or even tens of thousands of preventable deaths occur each year. This uncertainty is primarily due to determinations not being made as to whether injury or death was the result of negligence or non-negligent events. Falls, choking, and even bed sores and pressure sores can all occur due to negligence or non-negligent circumstances. The only thing clear is that nursing home injury and death caused by negligence is vastly underreported.

Common Causes of Nursing Home Wrongful Death

Injury and wrongful death in nursing homes are often linked to:

Often, an initial injury—such as a fall or bedsore—may not seem life-threatening at first, but it can trigger serious complications that ultimately lead to death. An unfortunate reality is that seniors cannot recover from injuries nearly as well as when they were younger, especially when infections and other complications occur. Nursing homes must be held accountable when their negligence contributes to these preventable tragedies.

The Callous Response from Nursing Homes: “They Were Going to Die Anyway”

Many nursing homes attempt to dismiss responsibility by suggesting that the resident was already near the end of their life. This argument is not only legally irrelevant, but also morally unacceptable.

Regardless of how much time a resident had left, whether it was a year, a month, or an hour, their life should not have been cut short due to negligence. Families deserve justice for the unnecessary loss of their loved one.

Why Consider Legal Action? It Won’t Bring Back Our Loved One.

No lawsuit can bring back your loved one, but holding negligent nursing homes accountable sends a powerful message:

Neglect and abuse will not be tolerated.
Resident safety must come before profits.
Families deserve justice and compensation for their loss.

As a nursing home wrongful death attorney, my firm and I fight for families who have suffered unimaginable loss due to negligence. Time and again, I’ve seen nursing homes prioritize profits over proper care, leading to preventable injuries and deaths. This must stop. Too often, the only way to force change is through litigation—holding facilities financially and legally responsible for the harm they cause.

Wrongful death cases frequently uncover patterns of systemic neglect, meaning your loved one may not have been the only victim. Taking legal action doesn’t just seek justice for your family—it can prevent future tragedies and push for higher standards of care in Cincinnati nursing homes. Lawsuits send a clear message: Nursing home negligence will no longer be ignored, excused, or allowed to continue.

If your loved one’s life was cut short due to nursing home negligence in Cincinnati, you have the power to demand accountability. By standing up, you may help ensure that no other family has to endure the same heartbreak.

How Nursing Homes Put Profits Over Resident Welfare

Nursing homes are often understaffed or rely on undertrained employees to cut costs. These cost-cutting measures frequently lead to preventable injuries and deaths, such as:

Understaffing. Fewer nurses and aides mean less attention to residents, increasing risks of falls, infections, and malnutrition.
Improper Training. Facilities may “push down” medical care tasks to unqualified staff instead of experienced personnel. Staff with higher training, like registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs), cost more than certified nursing assistants (CNAs).
Lack of Security. Nursing homes must be secure to protect residents with memory issues from wandering into danger and possibly death. Proper safety measures—like electronic locks, video surveillance, and adequate staffing—can prevent tragic injuries and deaths. Yet, many facilities cut corners to save money, putting vulnerable residents at risk.

When these shortcuts result in the death of a resident, the nursing home must be held responsible.

What Nursing Homes May Count on to Escape Liability in Wrongful Death Cases

When a loved one dies due to nursing home negligence, their adult children—often the ones who chose the facility—may struggle with guilt. Nursing homes may even encourage this, suggesting the death wouldn’t have happened if the family had chosen differently or had provided care themselves. It’s important to recognize that this guilt is sometimes the reason why families are reluctant to bring a wrongful death case.

But you should not feel guilty. Most families turn to nursing homes because they lack the time, resources, or medical expertise to provide the level of care their loved one needs. Nursing homes promise to provide that care—and when they fail, the responsibility is theirs, not yours.

Call for a Free Consultation – Let’s Discuss Your Case

If you suspect that nursing home negligence in Cincinnati contributed to your loved one’s death or injury, the Nancy C. Iler Law Firm is here to help. A nursing home abuse lawyer can help you navigate these complex cases. We offer free consultations and work on a contingency fee basis—meaning you pay nothing unless we win your case.

Call us today to discuss your legal options and how we can help.

Client Review

“As both a nurse and an attorney, Nancy is uniquely suited to help victims of nursing home abuse. She gets in-depth in her clients’ cases, leaving no stone unturned, and her sense of empathy for what her clients and their families have gone through is what makes her stand head and shoulders above all others.”

⭐ 5-Star LinkedIn Review – S.H.

Nursing Home Wrongful Death – Cincinnati