Did your loved one suffer serious injuries in a fall in a nursing home in or around the Birmingham area? Did the staff or facility fail to accurately assess their fall risk? Did they fail to provide bed rails, lower the bed, include a stable chair in the shower, or provide adequate supervision? If so, you have the right to hold the facility accountable for the harm your loved one suffered as a result of negligence.
Older adults have a greater risk of suffering severe injuries in a fall, especially in nursing homes. One in four people over 65 years of age suffer an injury from a fall. Additionally, one out of five falls often result in a severe injury.
The Birmingham nursing home abuse and negligence lawyers at Farris, Riley & Pitt, LLP have extensive experience handling cases involving falls in nursing homes. We know how to hold the facility accountable and make sure that your loved one is protected and cared for in the manner that they deserve.
Don’t hesitate to put a stop to this abuse and neglect. Let us help you get the compensation and justice your family deserves.
Warning Signs and Causes of Nursing Home Falls
If you’re able to recognize the patterns of neglect that lead to patients falling, it will be easier to protect your loved one. Situations that staff can’t explain and extensive physical injuries often indicate neglect. Usually, falls occur because nurses fail to assist patients who need to use the bathroom or walk to other areas of the property. Additionally, spilled water and objects left on the ground could also contribute to falling. The warning signs of a fall caused by neglect include:
- Unexplained broken or fractured bones
- Dehydration that causes dizziness
- Malnutrition that leads to muscle weakness
- Head injuries
- Infections
- Wounds, scrapes, and bruises
- Hazardous living conditions that could cause the patient to trip
If you suspect your loved one was the victim of nursing home neglect, you should seek legal representation immediately. It’s easy to overlook the evidence, considering many falls are the result of old age. Accidents sometimes happen if the elderly individual is confused or disoriented. They might try to walk to the bathroom without assistance or fall out of bed. Nurses can’t always prevent injury; however, if they’re following proper protocol, their patients shouldn’t have to fend for themselves.
How Do I Prove Nursing Home Neglect Caused the Fall?
You should hire a lawyer from Farris, Riley & Pitt, LLP if you think your loved one’s fall injuries happened because of abuse or neglect. We understand Alabama laws and regulations that determine fault in nursing home fall cases. You could hold the facility and any individuals involved legally responsible in the following situations:
- If specific hazards caused the accident, such as electrical cords across the hallway, wet spots on the floor, or objects left around the resident’s room.
- If the facility failed to provide assistive devices, such as walkers, crutches, or handrails.
- If the patient’s room or common areas are in a condition that could cause them to slip or trip.
- If staff didn’t closely monitor those requiring assistance to get out of bed, go to the bathroom, or take a walk.
- If appropriate medical care wasn’t given after a fall occurred.
Your lawyer will gather all the necessary information to prove the living conditions or careless actions of the staff caused your loved one to fall. We will obtain sufficient evidence, including:
- Incident reports written after the fall occurred
- Video surveillance of the fall
- Witness statements from anyone who saw the fall happen
- Photos of the scene where the fall took place, including any hazards, spills, or anything else that potentially caused it
- The patient’s medical records showing the treatment needed for the injuries sustained after the fall
Should I Hire a Lawyer to Help Me with My Case?
You are not required to retain legal services in a nursing home fall case. However, it could prove beneficial to receive help from an experienced lawyer. If you’re unfamiliar with the process, you might have issues navigating the complicated legal road ahead of you. When you hire a Birmingham nursing home fall lawyer from Farris, Riley & Pitt, LLP, we will take care of the details of your case ourselves.
Many people don’t realize the differences between insurance claims and lawsuits. The goal of each option isn’t entirely similar. When you file an insurance claim, you seek reimbursement for expenses resulting from the fall. Expenses like medical bills and the intangible cost of emotional trauma get compensated in insurance claims. When you decide to file a lawsuit, you seek the same monetary amount as you would from an insurance claim but also punish the specific person who contributed to the fall and subsequent injuries so that the person or facility does not hurt your loved one or another resident.
The nursing home lawyers at Farris, Riley & Pitt, LLP know how to navigate both of options on your behalf.
What Financial Compensation is Available?
In Alabama, three factors determine the value of a nursing home fall case: economic damages, noneconomic damages, and punitive damages. You could potentially receive compensation to cover all expenses resulting from the injury. Damages are losses incurred because of the fall.
If your loved one required medical treatment at another facility and endured emotional trauma, you could seek economic and noneconomic damages. Punitive damages punish those whose careless actions led to the fall, it’s an award that the negligent individual or nursing home facility pays to you directly for their actions.
Hire A Dedicated Birmingham Nursing Home Falls Lawyer from Farris, Riley & Pitt, LLP
If your loved one was hurt in a fall in a nursing home caused by abuse or neglect, contact Farris, Riley & Pitt, LLP right away for the experienced and skilled legal representation you’ll want on your side.
We dedicate our time and attention to providing legal services you can trust. For over 20 years, we’ve proudly served victims of nursing home falls throughout Alabama. Our team of Birmingham nursing home abuse lawyers is available 24/7 to answer your questions or schedule an appointment.
Our consultations are always free and 100% confidential. We also represent families like yours on a contingency-fee-basis. This means that we’ll cover all the upfront costs of handling your case and will only collect a fee when we recover compensation for you. Call Farris, Riley & Pitt, LLP right now or reach out to us online to schedule your case evaluation.
