Broken bones are common injuries that can happen to people of any age. Senior citizens may be more susceptible than others because of medical conditions or the effects of aging.
Nursing home residents should receive appropriate care to prevent injuries. In some cases, however, staff members fail to take necessary precautions or intentionally abuse or neglect patients. That can lead to serious harm, including broken bones.
If your loved one was hurt while living in a long-term care facility, you might be feeling angry and worried about your relative’s safety. You may also want to hold the facility accountable. A Jacksonville bone fractures and breaks lawyer may be able to help.
Pintas & Mullins Law Firm has taken legal action to help families across the United States seek justice on behalf of their loved ones who were abused and mistreated. We may be able to help your family, too. Call our office at (800) 842-6336 to speak with a member of our staff.
Risks Nursing Home Residents Face and How Workers Can Prevent Injuries
People who live in long-term care facilities may be susceptible to bone fractures because of their age. Vision problems can make it difficult to see hazards and to judge distances.
Arthritis and issues with balance and coordination can increase the risk of falling, and osteoporosis can increase the likelihood that a fall will result in a fracture. In addition, some medications may produce side effects, such as dizziness, lightheadedness, and fatigue, that can contribute to falls.
Some elderly patients experience stress fractures. Those can occur when repetitive motion causes small fractures to develop. If stress fractures are not detected and treated, they can grow in size and can cause the area to become swollen and painful. Nursing home employees should regularly check patients for swelling and other signs of a problem.
Staff members should make sure that common areas are free of hazards that could lead to slip and fall accidents and that those areas have adequate lighting. Workers should pick up objects that fall on the floor, clean up spills promptly, and post warning signs or restrict access to areas where the floor is wet.
Among senior citizens with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, wandering is a common issue. A patient may become lost or confused, enter or attempt to enter a restricted area, fall, and get injured. Employees should keep a close eye on patients and take steps to prevent wandering and injuries.
Workers may need to provide individualized care for residents to prevent broken bones and other injuries. For example, if a patient has trouble walking, staff members should provide assistance with bathing, using the toilet, and other tasks.
In some cases, bone fractures occur because of abuse. For instance, a staff member may hit or push a patient and cause them to fall to the ground or to strike another object, such as a table. Those types of incidents may lead to serious injuries in a person who is already vulnerable. Abuse of an elderly person or disabled adult is classified as a felony under Florida Statutes §825.102.
How a Jacksonville Bone Fractures and Breaks Lawyer May Be Able to Help
If your family member was injured while living in a long-term care facility, you might have many questions. You may be wondering whether the injury occurred because of an accident or whether your relative was abused or neglected, and you may be trying to figure out how to deal with the situation.
Pintas & Mullins Law Firm has represented families across the United States whose loved ones were hurt while residing in long-term care facilities. Our team can investigate to figure out what happened.
We can begin by interviewing your family member (if they can communicate), as well as you, other relatives, staff members, and fellow residents. We can review your family member’s medical records to learn whether they had an underlying condition that created an elevated risk of bone fractures.
We may also consult independent medical experts to find out if they believe that the explanation that was given for your loved one’s injury seems reasonable and consistent with what was known about their previous condition.
If we discover that your relative was abused by a staff member, another resident, or someone else, we may be able to file a personal injury lawsuit against the facility.
Understaffing is a widespread problem in nursing homes. We may learn that the facility did not have enough workers on the job at the time of the accident, hired an employee with a history of abuse, or did not provide staff members with appropriate training on how to prevent injuries.
For a free legal consultation with a Jacksonville Bone Fractures and Breaks Lawyer Lawyer serving Jacksonville, call (800) 794-0444
Hire an Attorney
If your relative was hurt in a nursing home, they might have suffered severe physical pain, as well as mental and emotional anguish. A Jacksonville bone fractures and breaks lawyer may be able to file a personal injury lawsuit and seek financial compensation to cover medical bills and pain and suffering.
When a loved one gets hurt in a long-term care facility, family members often want to seek justice but worry that they could not afford legal fees. That should not be a concern because Pintas & Mullins Law Firm operates on contingency. Your family will not have to pay us any money upfront to represent you. Our firm will only collect a fee if we obtain a financial award by negotiating a settlement or by winning at trial.
You do not have much time to take legal action because of Florida Statutes §429.296. It states that the statute of limitations to file a personal injury lawsuit is two years from the date of the incident or two years from the date when the incident was discovered or should have been discovered via due diligence. You will have no more than four years to file a lawsuit.
If you miss the deadline, your family will be unable to seek compensation for your relative’s injuries. Call Pintas & Mullins Law Firm today at (800) 842-6336 so our team can begin working on your loved one’s case as quickly as possible.
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