Kansas City Elopement Attorneys

Nursing Home Wandering Lawyers in Kansas City

Did nursing home staff members fail to supervise and care for your elderly loved one, who eloped or wandered off or around the premises alone? Did the moments of wandering result in your loved one being injured or losing their life? In such tragic cases, it is only right for the elder’s family members to take legal action to demand justice and compensation.

The Law Office of Tom Wagstaff Jr. and our Kansas City wandering attorneys would be honored to give your family a chance to hold the negligent nursing home or assisted living center liable. We believe that every resident in a nursing home deserves five-star treatment and that any care that falls short of that is unacceptable. Standing up for the injured, neglected, and abused is our calling, so please call (816) 597-4556 now to see how we can help. 

Schedule a no-cost, no-obligation consultation with our Kansas City elopement lawyers today.

Our Elopement Case Victories

Experience matters in legal cases, especially those with high stakes and complicated details like a nursing home elopement or wandering case. At The Law Office of Tom Wagstaff Jr. of Kansas City, our trial attorneys are proud to be able to say that we have an established history of remarkable case results for elopement lawsuits.

A few of our recent wins for nursing home wandering lawsuits include:

• $3,000,000 settlement: A 75-year-old nursing home resident was left unattended, wandered away, and passed away as a result. The $3 million settlement exceeded typical damage caps in Missouri.
• $736,310 settlement: A 75-year-old residential care facility resident was able to leave the facility unattended and passed away as a result.
• $250,000 settlement: A 99-year-old nursing home resident left the center unattended and suffered facial and head injuries.

What is Elopement or Wandering?

When a nursing home resident is allowed to leave or wander the premises unattended, often without any staff being aware of it, it is called elopement. Elderly residents with dementia and other cognitive difficulties are the most likely to wander unannounced and unattended. All instances of elopement are unacceptable, but not all result in physical harm being suffered by the elder who wanders.

Harm Caused by Wandering

Wandering away from a nursing home center can be extremely dangerous depending on the location and design of the center. Hazards around the premises like steps, uneven pavement, and debris can lead to a serious slip-and-fall accident. Some of the most tragic cases of nursing home wandering involve an elderly resident who wanders into the street and is struck by traffic. 

Serious injuries and consequences of nursing home wandering can include:

• Broken bones
• Head and brain injuries (TBIs)
• Back injuries and paralysis
• Wrongful death

How Can Nursing Homes Stop Wandering?

Elopement or wandering can easily result in serious injuries suffered by an elderly nursing home resident. As such, it is important that a nursing home take adequate steps to prevent it.

A nursing home can stop its residents from wandering by:

• Keeping an adequate staff-to-resident ratio
• Hiring security staff to monitor entrances and exits
• Securing emergency exits with alarms
• Providing extra oversight to residents with a history of wandering

It is not difficult to imagine the steps needed to stop nursing home wandering entirely. Therefore, if a nursing home fails to take these reasonable steps, and an elderly resident is hurt while wandering, then it makes sense to argue that the nursing home is liable. A civil claim could be made to hold the nursing home liable for losses and damages, both general and special, even if no criminal charges are ever brought against the nursing home.