Falls in Littleton Nursing Homes
The injuries sustained in fall accidents can be severely damaging and cause extensive bodily trauma. For those in a substantially weakened condition already before a slip and fall (e.g., senior citizens), the injuries they sustain are more likely to cause irreparable physical harm and may even prove fatal. In cases where an elderly individual is injured in a fall accident while living in a nursing home, the resident could seek to recover compensation from the senior care facility by filing an injury claim against them.
If you or your elderly loved one are injured in a slip and fall accident at a nursing home due to the facility’s negligence or its staff, you could bring a civil injury action against them. Call a nursing home abuse attorney to learn more about pursuing compensation for falls in Littleton nursing homes.
Most Common Fall Injuries in Senior Care Facility Negligence Claims
The nature and severity of the injuries a senior citizen sustains in a nursing home fall accident will vary on a case-by-case basis. However, there are several types of injuries that seniors commonly incur from unexpectedly falls, such as:
- Head injuries (e.g., concussion, cranial trauma, etc.)
- Skeletal sprains and fractures
- Muscular strains
- Pelvic and spinal injuries
While the above-listed injuries are also apparent in many nursing home negligence claims, their severity and aftereffects and their impact on a senior’s physical and mental well-being may be far more drastic in elderly care home falls. In addition to the varying degrees of bodily harm, the allocation of fault and the extent of a party’s liability for damages may also vary, depending on the facts of a nursing home negligence case.
Colorado Nursing Home Fall Management Regulations
A slip and fall occurs when a dangerous condition exists on a property due to the owner’s negligence and causes a person who enters onto the property to lose their balance and collapse. In these types of personal injury cases, a property owner may be held liable for damages due to their failure to maintain their property adequately. Similarly, if a nursing home resident’s fall injuries are due to the facility’s failure to remedy or sufficiently warn others of a hazardous condition on the property, they may be liable for damages.
In Colorado, assisted living facilities must adhere to the standards established by the Health Facilities and Emergency Medical Services Division of the Department of Public Health and Environment, outlined in the Code of Colorado Regulations (C.C.R.). To mitigate the risk of injury to residents due to fall accidents, nursing homes are required to develop a fall management program under 6 C.C.R. § 1011-1-7(12.15). In addition to requiring care facilities to provide fall management educational resources and training to residents, their families, and staff, senior care homes must also conduct routine inspections and maintenance for the preemptive detection and remedying of potential hazards on the premises.
Call Today to Discuss the Legal Options for Falls in Nursing Homes in Littleton
In the United States today, fall accidents are among the leading causes of fatal and non-fatal injuries in the elderly. To ensure that caregivers are actively preventing falls in Littleton nursing homes, states have adopted regulations for such facilities to mitigate senior fall injuries and fatalities. However, despite the state-implemented fall prevention regulations currently in place, elderly fall accidents continue to be a recurring problem in nursing homes.
If your aged family member was recently in a fall accident due to nursing home negligence and severely or fatally wounded as a result, legal action may be taken against the at-fault care facility to recover monetary damages. Take the first step to pursuing your elder fall injury claim by scheduling a complimentary case evaluation with a qualified Littleton nursing home abuse lawyer.
