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Writer's pictureLeitner Varughese Warywoda

Ingrown Toenail Leads to Amputation for Nursing Home Resident


We would like to tell you about a troubling situation which occurred in a New York nursing home. The nursing home resident had an ingrown toenail removed and cleaned by a podiatrist. The nursing home staff failed to properly monitor it after that, which ultimately led to an amputation of her leg above the knee. Basically, what occurred was, the resident had diabetes, and the foot care of a diabetic is particularly important in that the staff must be very diligent and must pay very close attention.

In this situation, the diabetic resident had an ingrown toenail, and the nursing home podiatrist came in and performed what is called a debridement, which is essentially a way of cutting and cleaning that ingrown toenail. However, when someone has diabetes, the affected area needs to be monitored very closely. The records reflected that this was just not happening at this nursing home. Antibiotics were not properly given in a timely way. The nurses just were not paying attention to what was happening with the toe.

Sure enough, the toe became infected, and the situation went from bad to worse. Within a couple of months, the patient required an amputation of her leg from above the knee. This nursing home's poor care resulted in a horrible situation, and unfortunately eventually it led to the resident's untimely death at a relatively young age.

Our firm's attorneys were able to step in, litigate the case, and at trial, we were able to hold the nursing home accountable for what happened. The case resulted in a very good result for the bereaved family.

About Leitner Varughese PLLC

Leitner Varughese PLLC is a cutting-edge litigation and trial law firm uniquely experienced in handling high-profile, complex lawsuits involving serious injuries and wrongful death. The Firm has vast experience in handling cases involving serious injuries caused by:

• Nursing Home Abuse/Neglect • Medical Malpractice • Construction Accidents • Motor Vehicle Accidents • Trip / Slip & Fall Accidents • Labor Law Violations • Negligent Premises Security • Products Liability • Defective Drugs

Leitner Varughese attorneys are routinely heralded as preeminent trial lawyers by nationally acclaimed organizations including the National Top 100 Trial Lawyers, Super Lawyers, American Academy of Trial Attorneys Premier 100, Rue Ratings Best Attorneys in America, America’s Top 100 Attorneys, and National Academy of Jurisprudence Premier 100 Trial Attorneys.

The attorneys at Leitner Varughese are routinely called upon to handle high-profile and newsworthy cases, many of which have been featured in news and media outlets, including the New York Law Journal, the New York Post, the New York Daily News, Channel 7 Eyewitness News, CBS News, Best of Long Island Press, Newsday, News 12, the LI Herald, and FIOS 1, amongst others.

In just the past few years, Leitner Varughese attorneys have facilitated in the recovery of over $100 million on behalf of clients that were injured because of car and truck accidents, construction accidents (involving New York State Labor Law violations), slip/trip and falls, and defective pharmaceuticals, including the recovery of over $50 million alone in verdicts and settlements on behalf of the victims of nursing home neglect and abuse.

For more information about Leitner Varughese PLLC or to be a part of our team, please contact us at (855) LV LAW NY (855-585-2969), or visit our website at www.lvlawny.com.

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