Florida Injury Lawyer Blog
In Colorado, Florida, and many other states, emergency rooms are common sites of slip and fall injuries. While there haven’t many studies about ER falls specifically, research shows that in inpatient hospital units in general falls happen at a rate of 1.3 to 8.9 per 1,000 patient days. These falls can lead to additional injuries or serious complications for already very ill patients.
If you’ve suffered an injury in a Colorado or South Florida emergency room or have lost a loved one due to a fall in an ER, contact the compassionate, family-based legal team at Flaxman Law Group. Our boutique law firm has medical malpractice attorneys who can review your rights and explain whether you might be able to seek compensation in your case, so you and your family can focus on healing.
Why Do Falls Happen in the Emergency Room?
If you need to visit the emergency room, you are hoping to get quality care and to get better. You don’t expect to get an additional injury. Yet falls are a common type of injury to sustain in an ER for a few reasons:
- Emergency rooms are busy. There are so many people in emergency rooms that spills of medicines, bodily fluids, or debris can easily happen. Hospitals are still responsible for maintaining a clean and safe environment, however, and they can be held liable if they fail to do so.
- Patients are more vulnerable. Patients who are in the emergency room may be weakened by a medical emergency, which can make them more vulnerable to falls. One of the biggest predictors for a fall is a previous fall, so if an elderly patient comes into the ER because they have broken a hip on the stairs, for example, they are more vulnerable to a fall.
- Many facilities face staff shortages. Hospitals have an obligation to have enough staff to supervise and help patients. If a patient falls out of bed because no-one was available to help the patient get to the bathroom, for example, the hospital can be held liable.
- New surroundings. Patients may not be familiar with the layout of an emergency room, which can increase the risk of falls if patients aren’t sure how to navigate the space.
- Premises issues. Hospitals should address issues such as unclean premises, poor lighting, uneven floor surfaces, and other hazards in the emergency room. If they don’t create a safe space, they can be held liable when patients are injured.
- Staff are often overworked. Patients are not the only ones injured in emergency room. Staff, including nurses, doctors, administrators, cleaning staff, and other employees often work long hours, and fatigue can increase the risk of trip and fall injuries as well as slip and fall injuries. In these cases, workers may be able to file a workers’ compensation claim to get benefits that cover medical care and lost wages.
Clearly, hospitals are expected to take steps to keep emergency rooms safe, even though these environments are busy and challenging. If you’re injured in an ER or if you lose a loved one due to a hospital’s negligence, you may have a medical malpractice claim.
If you’re located in South Florida or in Colorado and have suffered this kind of injury, contact Flaxman Law Group to speak to a medical malpractice attorney. Our boutique, family-focused law firm can answer your questions and may be able to represent you if you have a claim. We have a track record of securing court wins and settlements, having secured over $100 million for our clients so far. Best of all, we treat you with care. Our father-son attorney team gives out their personal cell numbers to clients, so you can always reach us, and we take care to explain your case and options to you clearly, in English or Spanish. Contact us today if you may have a claim and would like to know more.