Autopsy in Nursing Home Wrongful Death Cases

Serving Mesa, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Surprise and all of Arizona

The death of a loved one can be especially traumatic if it was caused by people you trusted to provide care. If you believe an Arizona nursing home is responsible for your loved one's death, the Mesa nursing home wrongful death attorneys at Cullan & Cullan may be able to help you seek the peace of mind you need to move forward while protecting other residents from a tragic fate.

Please call Cullan & Cullan (602) 397-7600 today for your confidential, no-cost consultation with one of our experienced nursing home wrongful death attorneys. We serve clients in Mesa and other areas of Arizona.

The Importance of an Autopsy

The first step toward building a wrongful death case against the nursing home is determining how your loved one died. Though this can be a painful process, an autopsy can establish essential evidence about the circumstances of your family member's passing.

An autopsy could find evidence of:

• Malnutrition and dehydration
• Neglect, such as bed sores
• Various injuries potentially caused by abuse
• Medication errors

If the findings of the autopsy indicate that factors like these contributed to your loved one's death, you might be able to pursue a wrongful death case against the nursing home.

Who Should Perform the Autopsy?

To get the clearest, most objective results, it's important to consult an unbiased physician to perform the autopsy. This procedure should not be conducted by staff at the nursing home where your family member resided. Though the autopsy should, ideally, be devoted to discovering the truth about the circumstances of your loved one's death, pressure from the staff at the facility could skew the findings in favor of the nursing home.

If you believe the circumstances of your family member's death are suspicious, here are some things to remember when requesting an autopsy:

• Autopsies should be performed by a medical doctor with a background in post-mortem examinations, usually a pathologist
• The doctor should be able to evaluate the facts without favoring the nursing home's stance over yours
• Forensic autopsies encompass a physical examination as well as toxicology tests, which could reveal mismanagement of medication
• An autopsy doesn't have to be performed by a county medical examiner or coroner; private autopsies are also available through groups such as university medical programs, private firms, etc.

Whom you should choose to perform an autopsy is just one of the questions a qualified nursing home wrongful death attorneys can help answer.

To learn more about building a wrongful death case against a nursing home, please contact Cullan & Cullan, today to schedule a free consultation. We are proud to serve clients in Mesa, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Surprise and other areas of Arizona.