Henson Fuerst Settles Nursing Home Pressure Ulcer Death for $4 Million

A 73-year-old man broke his ankle at home and entered a North Carolina nursing home to recover. The stay was supposed to be temporary. He went there to rehabilitate, get back on his feet, and return home.

He was a resident for 27 days. In that short window his condition collapsed. He developed multiple pressure ulcers, including Stage 4 gangrenous wounds to his buttocks, sacrum, and scrotum. Pressure ulcers form when a person is left in one position too long and the tissue beneath the skin dies from lack of blood flow. They are largely preventable with routine repositioning, regular skin checks, and basic wound care. According to the plaintiff's claim, the facility's staff failed to properly assess the wounds or treat them.

By the time the ulcers were addressed, the damage was severe enough to require hospitalization. He was treated at the hospital and died two weeks later.

Short stays like his are common. People recovering from broken bones, surgeries, or strokes often spend a few weeks in a skilled nursing facility before going home. The basic promise of that care is that a patient does not leave worse than they arrived. Here, a treatable broken ankle turned into fatal wounds in under a month.

The family pursued a wrongful-death claim represented by Carma Henson, Thomas Henson, and Anna Claire Turpin of Henson Fuerst in Raleigh. Instead of framing the harm as one nurse's error on one shift, the legal team aimed at the company that operated the facility. They alleged systematic, ongoing administrative and managerial failures that bred a culture of abuse and neglect: chronic understaffing, poorly trained nurses, and management that left the home unable to meet its residents' basic needs.

The case settled on March 28, 2025 for $4 million, with North Carolina Lawyers Weekly reporting the result that December. The nursing home, the case name, and the court file were kept confidential under the agreement, so the figure carries no public verdict behind it. Because the matter resolved by settlement rather than a jury award, there was no remittitur or appellate reduction to follow. Henson Fuerst reported the $4 million as fully collectible.