Slip and Fall Accidents in Nursing Homes

We trust nursing homes, assisted living centers, and long-term care facilities to take good care of our elderly or disabled family members. In turn, these entities have a duty to provide a reasonable level of care for our loved ones. This includes taking measures to protect frail residents from slip and fall accidents. If your loved one has been hurt or has passed away due to a slip and fall accident caused by the negligence of a licensed care facility, Rockland County nursing home negligence lawyer Valerie J. Crown can provide guidance and representation. She has helped many residents of Greater New York bring claims against the people or entities that have harmed them.

Valerie and her staff are committed to offering injured individuals and their families the dedication and care that they deserve. We understand the pain and shock that comes with being hurt by someone whom you trust or losing a family member to a tragically fatal accident. Valerie is proud to make herself available to clients 24/7. You can call her cellphone at 845.598.8253 whenever you need her assistance.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, falls in nursing homes are a national problem, affecting 50-75% of all nursing home residents annually and resulting in about 1,800 deaths each year. Serious injuries, such as fractures, are also common. Some residents fall more frequently than others, with the average being 2.6 falls per person per year. Perhaps due to the relative frailty and chronic medical issues common in nursing home patients, falls occur in long-term care environments at twice the rate of falls among seniors living independently. About one in three falls involves a resident who is unable to walk.

Since falls in nursing homes are so common, the owners and employees of these facilities have a duty to take precautions to reduce the risk of injuries and deaths from falls. If a nursing home breaches this duty of care, and harm directly results to a resident, the facility and its staff may be liable for their negligence. Generally speaking, they are required to act in a reasonably prudent manner under the circumstances. This means that the particular facts giving rise to the accident are very important in determining whether the nursing home may be held liable. Some of the more common causes of falls in nursing homes include:

• Inadequate bedrails;
• Improper height of a patient’s bed;
• Poor lighting in the patient’s room or in the hallways;
• Spills and debris in rooms, hallways, and elsewhere in the facility; and
• Understaffing, which can leave vulnerable residents unsupervised.

When a patient or a patient’s family is able to make out a case of negligence against a nursing home that has failed to take precautions to prevent a fall, they likely can receive damages, such as medical expenses and pain and suffering. In wrongful death cases, a patient’s family may be able to seek other types of damages, including funeral costs and the loss of consortium and companionship with the accident victim.

It also bears mentioning that a nursing home, hospital, or other health care facility may be held liable for slip and fall accidents involving non-residents. A claim brought by a visitor to such a facility, including a patient’s family member, falls under the law of premises liability. A premises liability lawsuit is also considered a negligence case and requires proving similar elements. Both nursing home negligence and premises liability lawsuits must be filed in a timely fashion, so it is important to speak to a lawyer about your accident as soon as possible in order to comply with the New York statute of limitations.

Entrusting a loved one to a nursing home is one of life’s most difficult decisions. When the facility breaches the trust placed in it by failing to properly care for an elderly resident, a family has a right to take legal action. If your family needs to speak to an attorney about a slip and fall accident or another act of neglect or abuse by a nursing home, Rockland County nursing home negligence attorney Valerie J. Crown is available to assist you. Call us at 845.708.5900 or contact us online to schedule a free and confidential appointment with a knowledgeable injury attorney. No legal fees are due unless we are able to obtain compensation for you. Valerie J. Crown represents victims and their families throughout Greater New York, including in Rockland, Westchester, Ulster, Dutchess, and Orange Counties, as well as New York City. Se habla Español.