FALLS
Nursing home residents are at significant risk of falling because they are often disabled, elderly or easily disoriented. Frail physical conditions when coupled with a fall can result in a serious injury, such as a broken hip. Serious injuries while in a nursing home can significantly impact seniors quality of life.
While some nursing home residents are characterized as “fall risks,” many residents fall as a result of the negligence of staff. Nursing homes have a duty to protect senior residents and to take preventative measures to create a safe facility.
When a nursing home fails to create, implement or follow proper polices and procedures to maintain the proper standard of care, facilities can be held liable for fall injuries to its residents. The following are examples of nursing home failure to follow the standard of care that can cause or contribute to fall injuries:
- Wet floors or cords from medical equipment left in the hallways;
- Failure to use safety devices, such as bed rails or floor mats;
- Failure to adjust the bed height appropriately based on known risk factors;
- Failure to provide assistance devices, such as operational call buttons or bed alarms;
- Dropping a resident while transporting the resident;
- Under staffing or lack of training;
- Failure to supervise residents; and
- Failure to identify residents at risk for falling.
Federal law requires that every resident have an assessment done when they enter the facility and to update the assessment on a regular basis or with changes in their medical condition. This report must include a written plan of care which describes the functional capacity of the resident and an assessment of their risk of falling. Based on this assessment, proper steps must be taken to supervise the resident and provide safety devices to prevent fall injuries.
Burke, Harvey & Frankowski’s lawyers investigate and evaluate potential claims for nursing home nursing home falls and personal injuries across the Southeastern US, including Alabama (Birmingham, Huntsville, Montgomery and Mobile), Florida (Jacksonville, Orlando, Pensacola, Tallahassee and Tampa), Georgia (Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus and Savannah), Mississippi (Biloxi, Gulfport, Hattiesburg and Jackson), Tennessee (Chattanooga, Memphis and Nashville) and Texas (Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio areas). We prosecute nursing home elopement lawsuits to obtain money damages for the victims and prevent others nursing home residents from being harmed.
Burke, Harvey & Frankowski’s lawyers have experience handling nursing home falls and personal injury claims. If a friend or loved one has suffered an injury as a result of improper nursing home supervision, monitoring or care. If your loved one has suffered a serious injury or death after falling in a nursing home, then contact us for a free claim evaluation. We can investigate your nursing home case and determine if your loved one and family may be entitled to money damages.
