Causes of breaks in bones generally involve some level of impact or trauma to the affected area. Residents of nursing homes are at a high risk of bone break injuries that contribute to the vulnerability of their physical and social well-being.
While broken bones may result from genuine accidents, they may also signal that nursing home abuse or neglect is something that your family member is experiencing. If you believe that your loved one’s breaks resulted from negligent care, it is vital that you speak with a nursing home abuse lawyer as soon as possible.
Causes of Breaks and Fractures in Nursing Homes
Falls are the most common reasons for breaks and fractures in nursing home residents. Therefore, you should investigate their occurrence to ensure that your loved one’s safety is secure.
In addition to falls, causes of breaks and fractures in nursing homes include:
- Physical abuse.
- Improper lifting.
- Malfunctioning devices.
- Tripping.
- High reaching.
- Medical malpractice.
Caregivers must provide your loved one with a requisite duty of care to ensure that break injuries do not occur. If negligence or carelessness is involved, intentional or not, you can hold the nursing home responsible for your loved one’s injuries.
Individuals at a Higher Risk for Breaks and Fractures
Nursing home residents are inherently prone to bone breaks due to their age and weakened health. Other complications may include lifestyle, mobility, and bone density loss.
While these factors are normal, it does not mean that your family member’s broken bones are. In fact, nursing home staff members receive specific training that deals with understanding how to handle and monitor nursing home patients.
Nursing staff members must take extra care when monitoring women, who are at a higher risk for breaks and fractures, and individuals who have:
- Existing fractures.
- A history of bone breaks.
- Osteoporosis or osteopenia.
- Cognitive impairments.
- Prosthetics or use wheelchairs.
It is possible that the bone break injury was preventable by nursing home staff members and providers. In general, proper supervision, adequate medication, and the use of lifts are all that is required to keep your loved one safe.
If you notice any fall or bone break hazards at your loved one’s facility, make sure that you alert an employee immediately. Doing so may prevent the injury of your loved one or another resident in the nursing home.
For a free legal consultation, call (800) 842-6336
Seeking Compensation for Causes of Breaks Related to Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect
It is essential to point out that not all bone fractures are caused by nursing home abuse and neglect. Investigating the circumstances surrounding an accident is a practical first step toward understanding what happened.
Your family member resides in the environment of a nursing home because he or she relies on someone else to take care of his or her medical needs on a full-time basis. Therefore, facilities like nursing homes should meet this need and their medical duty of care toward him or her to prevent break injuries.
You can file a compensation claim related to bone breaks and fractures that recuperates your losses for:
- Medical expenses.
- Relocation costs.
- Pain and suffering.
- Mental anguish.
- Wrongful death.
With a nursing home abuse or neglect lawyer, you can discuss your rights to receive a monetary award. He or she can devise a case strategy that investigates the claim fully and preserving evidence that protects your family members’ financial and physical interests after the injury.
You Have a Limited Time to File a Claim
In every U.S. state, there is a statute of limitations – or mandated deadline – that significantly impacts your ability to file a claim. This deadline varies state-to-state, which means that you should contact a nursing home injury lawyer to help you discover which time limits apply to your case.
Giving your attorney time to negotiate a settlement before going to court may result in him or her having additional options when investigating your case. Reaching out to someone long before your state’s statute of limitations is important for your case.
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Contact the Legal Team at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm
Pintas & Mullins Law Firm will help you move forward if your family member endured a suspicious break injury or subsequent wrongful death. Our nursing home injury lawyers will investigate the cause of his or her harm while keeping you aware of new issues as they occur.
Pintas & Mullins Law Firm warmly invites you to contact us for a free case evaluation, and our team is not afraid of taking on the toughest cases either. Call us to request yours at (800) 842-6336
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