As discussed previously in this blog, serious injuries can be suffered when a traumatic accident occurs suddenly, such as a car accident that brings a high amount of force and energy. However, it is not necessary for these extreme events to occur before Marylanders suffers a serious personal injury.
This is particularly true for elderly Baltimore residents, who may be more susceptible to injury from relatively common events, like a fall, including those who are under the care of others in a nursing home. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are about 1,800 older adults who die every year because of injuries they suffer from falls in nursing homes. An average nursing home has between 100 and 200 falls each year, with many of them going unreported. In many instances, the same individual suffers multiple falls per year.
There are a number of factors that can cause a person to suffer a fall. For instance, elderly nursing home residents may have chronic health conditions or difficulty walking, as well as trouble getting around or taking care of themselves.
Many falls are accidental and not the fault of the nursing home. Nonetheless, in other cases, a fall or other injury suffered in the nursing home was entirely preventable, if it were not for the fault of the nursing home.
For instance, proper medical care or supervision may not have been provided by those responsible in the nursing home. This may be due to inadequate staffing levels, inattentive or improperly trained staff or other issues.
Ultimately, when a person suffers a nursing home injury, the cause of the injury will determine whether the person has a cause of action to assert against the home or caregiver. If the injury was caused by the negligence of the nursing home or its staff, the injured person can recover compensation for the injury.