Nearly half of all Virginia nursing homes (141 facilities) are currently on an abuse or low-quality watchlist due to repeated safety failures, poor staffing, or serious health violations, according to a 2025 statewide review. Nursing home injuries can range from falls and bedsores to medication errors or even abuse, threatening residents’ health and causing overwhelm and heartbreak to families in Petersburg.
The personal injury attorneys at Tronfeld West & Durrett can help you hold nursing homes accountable under Virginia law. We prove negligence by investigating every detail and working with medical experts to document the injury’s total impact. Our goal is to secure compensation that addresses medical expenses, pain and suffering, and the long-term needs of the injured resident.
How We Build a Nursing Home Injury Case in Petersburg
We approach every Virginia personal injury case with a comprehensive, evidence-driven strategy that connects the facility’s failures to the resident’s injuries in a clear, compelling way. Our attorneys begin by preserving key documentation, photos, and environmental records to establish what occurred and when.
Next, we consult medical and care experts to link negligence directly to the resident’s harm, demonstrating both causation and long-term impact. We also analyze staffing practices, policy compliance, and equipment management to identify all responsible parties.
This thorough approach allows us to expose patterns of neglect, quantify financial and non-economic damages, and structure a case that positions families to negotiate effectively or litigate if the settlement reveals insufficient. This way, every claim rests on strong evidence and expert-backed analysis, maximizing your chances of full and fair compensation.
Our Attorneys
For answers to your questions about a nursing home injury in Petersburg, call:
804-862-1234
Evidence We Move Fast to Secure
- Full resident chart and care plan history.
- Daily progress notes and vitals logs documenting the resident’s condition over time.
- Staffing rosters from the day and week of the incident.
- Internal incident reports and results of any facility investigations.
- Pharmacy and medication records.
- Wound care and therapy documentation from specialists to track injury progression.
- Maintenance logs and device inspection records for alarms, bedrails, and other safety equipment.
- Photos and room layouts capturing injuries, fall scenes, and environmental hazards.
- State inspection reports or prior citations.
Liability in Petersburg Nursing Home Cases
In nursing home cases, liability can be layered and include more than a single employee’s mistake. For example, your case may involve the corporate operator or management company responsible for hiring, training, and staffing decisions.
Additionally, contracted providers, such as therapy, pharmacy, or agency nurses, can also share fault if their errors cause harm. Lastly, if faulty lifts, beds, or monitoring systems contribute to injuries, manufacturers and maintenance vendors may be part of the claim as well.
Determining liability often requires a thorough investigation to identify every party whose actions—or inactions—contributed to the injury. Our attorneys in Petersburg carefully trace responsibility from frontline staff to corporate management and outside vendors, ensuring all potentially liable parties are held accountable and that our clients can pursue maximum compensation.
Click to contact us today
What Counts as Facility Negligence in Virginia
To succeed, an injury claim must demonstrate the elements of negligence: that the nursing home owed a duty of care, breached that duty, directly caused the injury, and resulted in damages. Some examples of nursing home negligence include:
- Falls and preventable fractures that occur when ignoring supervision or fall protocols.
- Bedsores from failure to reposition residents or maintain adequate nutrition and hydration.
- Medication errors involving incorrect drugs, missed doses, or harmful omissions.
- Resident-on-resident aggression caused by poor placement or lack of staff oversight.
- Severe dehydration, malnutrition, or sepsis linked to systemic neglect.
- Unsafe wandering due to missing alarms or inadequate monitoring.
When a facility fails to meet its duties, it can be held liable under Virginia negligence law. Your attorney will work to gather critical evidence and secure expert testimony to clearly establish liability and hold the facility accountable for the harm caused.
Complete a Free Case Evaluation form now
Your Rights and Deadlines in Virginia
The statute of limitations for most personal injury and wrongful death cases in Virginia is generally two years from the date of injury or death, under Va. Code § 8.01-243. Failing to file within this timeframe commonly results in losing your right to file permanently.
Additionally, Virginia applies pure contributory negligence, so even minimal fault attributed to a resident could bar recovery. Our firm structures medical and policy evidence to eliminate these arguments, demonstrating that impaired cognition or limited mobility cannot legally shift responsibility away from the facility’s duty of care.
What We Fight to Recover
Our goal is to rebuild stability for the resident and their family, both financially and emotionally. We pursue medical expenses tied directly to the injury, including hospitalization, surgery, rehabilitation, and necessary follow-up care. When neglect forces relocation to a safer facility or a higher level of supervision, those transition costs are also part of the claim, as well as out-of-pocket losses like transportation, medications, or mobility equipment.
For pain and suffering, emotional trauma, and loss of dignity, Virginia law allows recovery for non-economic damages. In fatal cases, we can also help families bring wrongful death claims for funeral costs, loss of companionship, and the full financial impact of their loved one’s passing.
What Families Should Do Now
Families often suspect neglect before they have proof. The most important step is to document everything before the record changes. Photograph visible injuries, the resident’s room, any alarm or restraint devices, and equipment involved.
Additionally, request copies of care plans, progress notes, and any incident reports you receive. Keep a simple, dated log of your visits, staff conversations, and changes in the resident’s condition. If the facility or insurer contacts you, do not agree to recorded statements until you’ve spoken with an attorney. Admissions, even unintentional ones, can affect your claim.
Start Your Free Nursing Home Injury Case Review
Time is critical in building a strong case, and early action preserves the evidence that could be later instrumental to establishing liability. If you believe your loved one was neglected in a Petersburg facility, an attorney from Tronfeld West & Durrett can help you and your family understand the legal options, assess potential claims, and begin gathering the documentation needed to hold the facility accountable.
We offer a free case review, during which a lawyer from our team will review the details of the case and paint a clear picture of the next steps ahead. Contact us today to schedule your free consultation and take the first step toward securing the accountability your family deserves.
FAQs About Nursing Home Injury Cases in Petersburg
How do you prove the facility was at fault?
We compare the chart and care plans to what should have been done under standard practice. Staffing levels, policy manuals, and medical expert testimony help show the link between omissions in care and the resulting harm.
What if the facility claims the resident “refused” care?
Refusal does not end the facility’s duty. Staff must still document interventions, notify physicians, and use alternative strategies. When these steps are missing, we prove negligence through the record.
Can we sue for pressure injuries or bedsores?
Yes, if turning schedules, nutrition, moisture control, or wound protocols were not followed. These are clear departures from accepted standards and often strong evidence of neglect.
How long do we have to file a claim?
Virginia’s two-year statute of limitations applies, but action should begin as soon as possible. Early involvement allows us to preserve witness statements, electronic records, and internal communications that can be lost over time.
Will we need to move our loved one?
If safety is at risk, relocation is often necessary. We help families seek damages for relocation costs and coordinate with trusted medical professionals to ensure proper ongoing care.
Petersburg Office
3321 South Crater Rd
Petersburg, VA 23805
Phone: 804.862.1234
Toll Free: 800.321.6741
Call or text 804-862-1234 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form