Slip and Fall Accidents in Hospitals
Accidental falls are a leading cause of injury in many situations where you might not expect them. The parents of children who have just learned to climb might worry constantly about falls on the playground, but playgrounds are designed in such a way that falls, which are almost inevitable, usually do not cause severe injury, and children’s bodies are remarkably resilient to accidental falls, so most playground accidents result only in injuries that require no treatment except a cuddle. Conversely, if you look at a construction site or a warehouse full of lumbering, snorting machines, your first thought might be that these monstrous devices are the main cause of injury. Likewise, you might think that medical errors are the main cause of preventable injury in hospitalized patients, or else nosocomial infections that spread among medically vulnerable patients housed in close quarters. Both of those are common causes of injury in hospitals, but so are accidental falls. If you got injured in an accidental fall in a hospital or other healthcare facility where you were a patient, contact a Fort Lauderdale premises liability lawyer.
Family of Hospitalized Patient Sues After Fatal Slip and Fall Accident
The employees of hospitals are aware of the risk of infections, so hospitals are among the cleanest and most germ-free places you will find. They are also aware of the risk of falls, since the patients walking on hospital floors often have impaired balance due to poor health or the effects of medications. Therefore, you frequently see signs warning of wet floors that the cleaning staff has recently mopped, and staff members may escort patients by assisting them in walking, or else by pushing them in wheelchairs, if they believe that the fall risk is too great if the patient were to try to walk without assistance.
In December 2018, Mildred Green was an inpatient at St. Anthony’s hospital in Pinellas County. She was staying in a hospital room with an adjoining bathroom. When the cleaning staff mopped the floor of her bathroom, no one notified her. Mildred’s son Julius visited her in her room a few minutes later, and while he was in the room, she got up to use the bathroom. While she was in the bathroom, Julius heard a loud crash and went to see what was going on. He saw that his mother had fallen and hit her head on the floor. She received treatment, but she eventually died of injuries she sustained in the fall. Mildred Green’s daughter Latoya, the personal representative of her estate, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against St. Anthony’s Hospital. She also named its parent company, Baycare Health System, as a defendant. She alleges that the hospital was negligent in not placing a sign on the newly mopped floor.
Set Up a Consultation Today
A personal injury lawyer can help you recover compensation for your medical bills after a slip and fall accident in a hospital. Contact Boone & Davis in Fort Lauderdale, Florida or call 954-566-9919 to explore your potential recovery options today.
Source:
docketalarm.com/cases/Florida_State_Pinellas_County_Sixth_Circuit_Court/19-002342-CI/LATOYA_S_GREEN_PERSONAL_REP_Vs._ST_ANTHONY_S_HOSPITAL_INC_et_al/04-04-2019-COMPLAINT-1/
