Although a fall may not sound serious, it can cause severe injuries for nursing home residents, including hip fractures and other broken bones. Such injuries can cause victims to become bedridden, potentially leading to further health complications, and even death. When nursing home staff fail to look out for residents, the facility can be held liable for the damages caused.
A nursing home must provide the best possible care for its patients, but if you believe someone’s negligent actions caused your loved one to suffer, you can file a personal injury or wrongful death claim. An Arbutus falls and fractures in nursing homes attorney could seek justice and possible monetary compensation on your behalf. You can call our team at Brown & Barron for a free consultation.
What Can You Recover in a Claim Against a Nursing Home?
All accidents involving injuries are different, so the damages you can recover vary depending on your unique case. However, here are some typical damages that are calculated into a final amount:
- Ongoing and future medical costs
- Pain and suffering
- Out-of-pocket expenses
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Burial and funeral costs
Get in touch with a falls and fractures lawyer serving Arbutus, (410) 547-0202 for a free case evaluation.
What Causes Falls and Fractures in the Elderly?
Falls can occur for a number of reasons. In a nursing home, there a few specific factors commonly cause these incidents:
- Poor lighting: When using low-power bulbs or fewer bulbs in large places, it can be difficult for residents of a nursing home to see where they’re going and avoid tripping or slipping hazards.
- Wet floors: There are wet floor signs to use when necessary. When they are not posted and spills go unattended, residents can slip and suffer fractures during a fall.
- Understaffing: Having to manage a nursing home with very little money to pay for home expenses, could lead to understaffing, which often results in patients not receiving all the care and supervision they need.
- Inadequate equipment: It is essential to maintain all the equipment and facilities in the nursing home, such as wheelchairs, toilets, handrails, and more to ensure residents can rely on them.
- Malnutrition: Lack of proper nutrition and hydration can interfere with a resident’s ability to support themselves without falling.
Regardless of the reasons your loved one fell and suffered fractures, their nursing home is responsible for maintaining safe premises and watching out for residents. If there is evidence of negligence or carelessness, our attorneys can use it to support your case for damages.
What Types of Injuries Occur From a Fall?
Bumps and bruises are pretty common after a fall, but nursing home residents are more likely to suffer from fractures in various areas of their bodies, such as:
- Hip fractures
- Knee or leg fractures
- Rib fractures
- Skull fractures
- Shoulders, arms, hands, and wrists fractures
- Spinal fractures
- And more
In addition to broken bones, if people become disabled, they can also develop pressure ulcers from lack of movement. In some scenarios, these injuries can be fatal. This would cause pain and suffering of a relative and great stress due to all the debts they would be left with. These types of damages could be recoverable in a personal injury or wrongful death case if you can prove negligence and liability.
Proving Negligence in Your Loved One’s Nursing Home
The consequences of a fall in a nursing home are often devastating. Such falls can cause residents to suffer serious health complications. That is why, if you suspect that your loved one suffered severe injuries due to the nursing home staff’s negligence, you’ll want to start building a case sooner rather than later, before evidence disappears.
When you hire our team, we’ll take steps like:
- Taking photos of the injuries and requesting video footage of the fall, if available
- Investigating the nursing home conditions, such as the quality of their equipment, hallway lighting, and staff quality of care
- Obtaining past reports on claims or other problems the nursing home have had
- Requesting testimonials from other patients
- Working with the authorities in charge of monitoring nursing homes
Such evidence can help our team create an outline of what happened leading up to, during, and after the fall. Then, we can build a strong case against the liable parties for the damages your family experienced.
Contact Brown & Barron online today to schedule a free case review with a with a falls and fractures lawyer serving Arbutus.
How Long You Have to File a Nursing Home Negligence Lawsuit in Arbutus
According toMd. Code Ann., Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 5-101, families of nursing home negligence or abuse victims have three years to file a lawsuit, either from the day the fall occurred or the day of discovery. It is vital to get to work as soon as possible so that the evidence does not become inadmissible and you stay on the right side of this deadline.
If you suspect that the nursing home caused harm to your loved one, you must act quickly to get justice. At Brown & Barron, we can help you build a case to prove your family member’s fall and subsequent fractures qualify for compensation.
Call Brown & Barron to Get Started
Falls and fractures in nursing home residents are serious and should be mitigated when possible. When nursing home staff fails to watch out for your loved one according to their duty of care, Maryland law allows you to hold them accountable. When you hire a lawyer from Brown & Barron, we will take care of the legal processes against the negligent party to obtain justice and compensation for your family’s damages.
If you would like a free consultation to review all of the information in your nursing home negligence case, call now and a member of our team will assist you. You can also fill out a contact form on our website.