Nursing homes have a legal duty to protect residents from harm. This responsibility includes ensuring residents have proper food, medicine, and housing, as well as making sure their surroundings are safe and they are not put at unnecessary risk of slipping and falling. While many long-term care facilities are careful in training their employees, watching over residents, and keeping their environment safe, falls in nursing homes still occur at an alarming rate. These types of accidents, while always dangerous, pose an especially high risk to the elderly, who are often frail or suffering from health conditions, which could complicate their injuries.
Although it is possible for injured nursing home residents to obtain compensation for a facility’s negligence, doing so can be difficult, especially for those without legal representation, so if your relative was injured in a slip and fall accident in an Illinois nursing home, you should speak with an experienced Western Springs slip and fall lawyer who can help you investigate the incident, gather evidence demonstrating negligence, and ultimately, help seek compensation for your loved one’s losses.
Legal Duties of Nursing Homes
All nursing homes in Illinois are required by law to protect their residents from foreseeable harm, and nursing home residents are already ill or incapacitated to a certain degree. This responsibility requires nursing homes to take reasonable precautions against falls, including:
- Conducting regular fall assessments for each resident, especially after changes in medical conditions;
- Installing handrails for the use of residents in hallways and stairs;
- Ensuring bathing facilities are kept free of standing water;
- Cordoning off temporary hazards like spills or broken steps;
- Providing residents with non-skid footwear, walkers, and canes;
- Repairing dangerous hazards, including cracked or uneven flooring; and
- Installing handrails and grab bars in all bathrooms and similar facilities.
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Plaintiffs who can demonstrate a nursing home’s failure to take these steps led to an injury could collect damages compensating them for related losses, including medical bills and pain and suffering. However, even the strongest of cases could come to nothing if a plaintiff does not file a claim before the statute of limitations expires, or within two (2) years of the date of the accident.
Fall-Related Injuries
Slip and fall accidents can result in serious injuries, especially for those in poor health, who are at risk of suffering:
- Severe bruising;
- Torn ligaments;
- Internal bleeding;
- Organ damage;
- Broken bones;
- Brain injuries; and
- Nerve damage.
Treating these injuries can prove financially ruinous, as they tend to be much more serious for elderly patients. For instance, a fall that would only slightly injure a person in her 30’s could result in internal bleeding, traumatic brain injury, or multiple broken bones for a nursing home resident.
Have an Experienced Western Springs Slip and Fall Lawyer Examine Your Case
If your loved one slipped and fell in an Illinois nursing home and you believe the accident could have been prevented if the facility had used reasonable care, you should get in touch with one of the dedicated Western Springs slip and fall attorneys at Mary Ann Covone, P.C. Attorney at Law by calling (708) 246-4911 or sending us an online message today.