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Nursing Home Negligence - Fractured Hip Accidents

Written and edited by our team of expert legal content writers and reviewed and approved by Daniel Harwin

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Hip fractures in the elderly – typically from falls – are very serious. They can create chronic pain and immobility that decrease quality of life, destroy independence, and lower the odds of a healthy and happy lifestyle. The required surgery and long painful rehabilitation often lead to a substantial overall decline. As such, prevention is always far better than treatment when it comes to senior citizen hip fractures. It is a nursing home’s legal duty to minimize the risk of falls that could fracture residents’ hips. Failure to do so, resulting in preventable injuries, is negligence.

At Freedland Harwin Valori Gander, PL, we help nursing home residents and their family members take a stand against negligent nursing homes in Florida. We know their legal obligations toward residents and all the ways they should be preventing slips, trips, and falls. Our legal team can investigate your loved one’s recent hip fracture for signs of negligence, and possibly help you recover money damages for related past and future medical bills, lost quality of life, physical pain, and emotional suffering. It all starts with a free case evaluation with one of our attorneys.

Causes and Effects of Hip Fractures in the Elderly

Falls are the main cause of hip fractures in senior citizens. Falls might be the leading cause of fatal injury among the elderly and that is why there are proactive steps nursing homes can and should take to reasonably prevent falls. Keeping the elderly active and mobile, using non-slip surfaces and footwear, providing walkers and bars in showers, and improving environment safety can all reduce the risk of falls and fractured hips. Nursing homes legally must take “reasonable” action to prevent falls and hip fractures. What is reasonable depends upon the circumstances but reasonable means what a prudent and diligent facility should do.

A hip fracture is not your everyday injury for someone over the age of 65. A break in femoral head or acetabulum can be incapacitating for the duration of the individual’s life. Hip fractures can require surgeries and extensive rehabilitation efforts, as well as pain medications and supportive care from nursing home staff members. Most seniors will never fully recover from a hip fracture and must live with a permanent disability and varying levels of function. For others, hip fractures can be fatal injuries due to an increased risk of blood clots, infections, and malnutrition.

It’s incredibly important for elderly nursing home residents to feel well, able-bodied, and healthy. A fractured hip can make this impossible, forcing the person into bedrest or limiting his/her independence. This change, plus a greater propensity for health complications, can result in a decline in the person’s overall health and mental status. Failure to prevent hip fractures whenever possible is an act of negligence that victims should not tolerate. With help from Freedland Harwin Valori Gander, PL, victims can seek justice.

How to Take Legal Action for Your Loved One’s Fractured Hip

A fractured hip arises from negligence if the nursing facility or staff member should have done something differently to prevent the broken bone in similar circumstances. For example, if dangerous condition exists that should have been corrected or an employee refuses to help a senior citizen out of bed and the senior falls, this could be negligence. It may take an investigation of your case and/or expert witness testimony to help you prove negligence in the Florida courts.

To explore your potential rights to take legal action against a nursing home or other party after a hip fracture, contact us. Our lawyers can make sure you meet the strict deadline to file so that you don’t lose your right to bring a claim. We can also take care of the paperwork and claim documentation for you, so that you have more time to focus on your family. Call (954) 467-6400 today to learn more during a free consultation.

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