Understanding Whether Falls in a Nursing Home Considered Negligence Can Result in a Recovery
Most people know that older people are at a higher risk for falls. This is especially true in nursing homes, where residents typically are frailer and have compromised mobility or cognitive function, increasing the risk of falling. When people fall in the hospital or a nursing home, healthcare facilities and nursing homes will try to blame the resident by stating the fall was unavoidable. While not every fall is due to a nursing home’s mistake, often falls could be entirely prevented. When a preventable fall happens, it often is considered negligence. Our nursing home negligence lawyers in Bend, OR, know that nursing homes will often not be forthcoming about how they contributed to the victim falling. We also know the serious injuries that victims can sustain after a fall in a nursing home, and are prepared to help you and your loved ones obtain the compensation you deserve for the injuries sustained.
Here at Kuhlman Law, our experienced personal injury lawyers in Bend, OR, know how to handle all types of nursing home abuse, neglect, and malpractice. This includes some of the worst nursing home falls due to the negligence of a healthcare provider’s careless actions. If you or a loved one were seriously injured in a nursing home fall, or if a loved one was wrongfully killed in a nursing home fall, learn more about how we can help you and your family today during a FREE consultation.
What are the Common Causes of Falls in Nursing Homes?
There are certain contributing factors that can lead to falls in nursing homes. While as mentioned above nursing homes often will try to place the blame on the resident, it typically is not the resident’s fault. Common causes of falls in Oregon nursing homes include the following:
- Resident neglect, leading to residents attempting to get out of their bed or chair by themselves to use the bathroom or get what they need
- Understaffing
- Inadequate staffing
- Failure to identify residents who are at risk for falls
- Failure to put certain precautions in place for lowering the risk of falls (i.e. bed alarms, bedrails in certain instances, increased monitoring, etc.)
- Failure to provide appropriate supervision
- Failure to adequately provide appropriate maintenance of the nursing home, resulting in wet floors, slippery floors, or other conditions such as old carpets that can pose a tripping hazard
- Failure to appropriately transfer a resident from their wheelchair to their bed
- Failure to use the brakes when attempting to transfer a resident out of or into their wheelchair
- Failure to assist a resident in the bath or shower who is at high risk for falls
- Other causes of falls in Oregon nursing homes
Types of Injuries Resulting From Nursing Home Falls
Residents can suffer from many different injuries from a fall which can have devastating consequences. Common injuries that nursing home residents sustain after a fall include the following:
- Brain injuries
- Arm fractures
- Leg fractures
- Hip fractures
- Spinal cord injuries
- Pelvic fractures
- Orbital blowout fractures
- Vertebra fractures
- Wrist fractures
- Rib fractures
- Internal organ injuries
- Head injuries
- Back injuries
- Neck injuries
- Wrongful death
- Other injuries resulting from a fall in a nursing home in Bend, OR.
Why You Should Hire a Fall in a Nursing Home Lawyer in Bend, OR
If you or a loved one have been seriously injured or killed as a result of medical malpractice contact the Oregon Medical Malpractice Lawyers at Kuhlman Law at our number below or fill out the intake form. We offer a free initial case evaluation and handle cases on a contingency fee which means that you pay no money unless we recover.
Our law firm handles cases throughout the state including Bend and Portland Oregon, Redmond, Central Oregon, Sisters, Madras, Multnomah County, Deschutes County, Salem, Eugene, Corvallis, Lane County, Medford, Gresham, La Grande, Albany, Medford, Beaverton, Umatilla, Pendleton, Cottage Grove, Florence, Oregon City, Springfield, Keizer, Grants Pass, McMinnville, Tualatin, West Linn, Forest Grove, Wilsonville, Newberg, Roseburg, Lake Oswego, Klamath Falls, Happy Valley, Tigard, Ashland, Milwakie, Coos Bay, The Dalles, St. Helens, Sherwood, Central Point, Canby, Troutdale, Hermiston, Silverton, Hood River, Newport, Prineville, Astoria, Tillamook, Lincoln City, Hillsboro, and Vancouver, Washington.
We also have an office in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and take medical malpractice cases throughout the Twin Cities, including St. Paul, Hennepin County, Ramsey County, Dakota County, Washington County, Anoka County, Scott County, Blaine, Stillwater, and Saint Paul Minnesota.
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