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They could be. However, the nursing home will probably not tell you if they were the cause of your mother’s fall. It depends on the nature of the fall. For example, was the nursing home lifting your mother in a sling to transfer her from her bed to her wheelchair when they dropped her? Did nursing home workers fail to answer your mother’s alarm and neglect her, leaving her to walk on her own and fall down?
Nursing homes have a responsibility to look after and care for residents. This includes properly supervising them, quickly responding to their alarm calls, and minimizing possible hazardous risks to keep their elderly residents safe and free from harm. When they fail to do these things and a resident suffers a fall-related injury, the nursing home could be liable for failing to take proper precautions and not paying close attention to the resident. Additionally, sometimes falls in nursing homes occur due to understaffing or outright nursing home neglect.
Whether your mother suffered a compression fracture, stress fracture, traumatic fracture, broken leg, broken arm, or broken hip—broken bone injuries are far more dangerous for elderly individuals. A broken bone can lead to surgery, a lengthy recovery, expensive medical bills, pain and suffering, and other damages. If your mother’s fall was caused as a result of any of the above actions on the part of the nursing home, your mother may be entitled to compensation for her damages.
To learn more about your rights to a financial recovery and how to hold a negligent nursing home accountable, request a free copy of our book, The Florida Nursing Home Abuse Handbook.