Nursing Home Neglect - Unexplained Falls and Fractures

Unexplained falls and fractures in the elderly (age 65 and up) are a leading cause of injuries and death. If you're seeking good resources to assist an elderly friend or relative who has been hurt in a fall, you can trust the reputable, credible, and highly successful North Chicago personal injury attorneys of Steven J. Malman & Associates.

Causes of falls and fractures: how to determine if/when to suspect negligence

Probably the vast majority of falls and fractures in the elderly are unfortunate accidents.

However, a significant fraction of these injuries could likely have been prevented with the proper precautions, tools, and supervision. When an elder person enters into the care of a nursing home, it becomes the responsibility of the home and its staff to provide a hazard-free environment. Incompetence, negligence, and even abuse can contribute to falls and fractures.

'Red flags' which may indicate that a nursing home may be dangerous include:

  • Lack of appropriate lighting at the facility
  • Obvious slip and fall hazards (such as loose toys, books, medical equipment, etc)
  • Lack of adequate supervision
  • Evidence of lazy/imprecise administration of medications
  • Out of date/poorly maintained guard rails, hand rails, grab bars, etc
  • High rate of nursing home injuries and/or reports of abuses/neglect
  • Lack of a decent program of exercise and fitness

Falls and fractures in elderly patients can quickly lead to serious consequences, including: infections; tissue injuries; strains on muscles, ligaments, tendons, and bones; depression, agitation; and pressure ulcers (resulting from long stays in bed).

The chain of cause and effect leading to these complications can be difficult to prove. For instance, let's say a diabetic elderly resident fractured her hip while hoisting herself up on a faulty guard rail. The fracture then led to an infection, which ultimately killed her. A case can be made that the nursing home's negligence (in not securing the guard rail) indirectly caused the women's death. Defendants might counter that the woman's compromised immune system (due to her diabetes) predisposed her to infection and thus the home should not be blamed.

To grapple with the complex issues of elder care law effectively, you need an attorney on your side who understands how the courts operate and who has demonstrated competence, results, and an ability to satisfy clients. That's why so many claimants look to the Illinois personal injury lawyers of Steven J. Malman & Associates. Find out more about our firm at www.malmanlaw.com or phone us toll free at 1-800-625-6265. You can also learn more about our zero fee guarantee and our client success stories at our website. 

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SETTELMENTS
  • $1,225,000 settlement for a speedway patron who got hit by a baseball-sized rock kicked up by a race car. The rock hit her so hard, she needed an emergency tracheostomy and brain surgery.

  • $6,000,000 settlement for our client, a 4 month old baby whose doctors had failed to diagnose a brain infection that left her with permanent brain damage and cerebral palsy.

  • $11,800,000.00 in a product liability settlement for a father of five who tragically died when his tire treads failed, causing his vehicle to roll over.

  • We obtained a $5 million settlement for a woman whose son died when his physician failed to diagnose a tumor.

  • A woman recovered $2.25 million in a medical malpractice case, in which the woman's obstetrician/gynecologist failed to spot her cancer on a pap smear, causing our client to have to undergo multiple, surgeries.

  • A $2 million verdict was obtained for a woman whose Ob/Gyn failed to refer her to a gynecologist to treat what turned out to be a malignant uterine sarcoma.

  • We obtained a $1.7 million settlement in a nursing home neglect case in which a 72 year-old man suffered radiator burns so severe that he had to have his legs amputated.

  • We obtained a $1.4 million award in a slip and fall case involving a 13 year-old boy who developed severe hip trouble after falling down the stairs of his high-rise.

  • A $1.25 million settlement in favor of our client, an 18 year-old boy who lost most of his vision after being assaulted by a security guard.

  • We obtained a $1.15 million settlement for our client, a little girl who suffered severed burns as a direct result of fire code ordinance violations.

  • A union painter whose legs got crushed by a forklift recovered $1 million in damages.

  • A $1 million settlement in favor of our client, a hemophiliac, who suffered severe soft tissue damage in a car accident.

  • A union steel worker who injured his back moving a 300 pound steel beam in the rain recovered $1 million for his construction site work injury.

  • We obtained a $900,000 settlement in the case of a beaten prison inmate who died after being given the wrong medication at the hospital.

  • We obtained a $600,000 settlement for a man who suffered a below the knee amputation after his friend accidentally shot him with a hunting rifle at a restaurant.

  • A 54 year-old woman recovered $600,000 in a product liability settlement after her oven mitt exploded and severely burned her breasts.

  • A woman who had lost her baby to fetal distress while in the hospital was awarded $500,000 for medical malpractice.

  • An 81 year-old bedridden stroke victim recovered $390,000 after he developed what would turn out to be fatal pressure ulcers stemming from negligent nursing care.

  • A nursing home resident won a settlement of $300,000 stemming from a hip fracture accident. His nursing staff had failed to take proper fall-risk precautions.

  • We obtained a settlement of $250,000 for the estate of a 21 year-old man who, after sustaining life-threatening injuries in an automobile accident, subsequently died in the hospital due to the staff's failure to insert a chest tube.

  • We obtained a settlement of $175,000 for the estate of a woman whose negligent nursing home care resulted in bed sore ulcers that led to an infection that ultimately caused her death.

  • We obtained a $150,000 settlement for a 69 year-old stroke victim who had to have an above the knee amputation due to nursing home neglect.

  • A $150,000 verdict was recovered for the estate of a 79 year-old man, who suffered bed sores stemming from nursing home neglect that ultimately contributed to his death.

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205 W. Randolph St., Suite 610
Chicago, Illinois 60606

Toll Free: 888-625-6265
Email: info@malmanlaw.com

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