Have You Fallen At A Hospital?
We go to hospitals to heal and expect to be safe there, but often there are hazards we are not aware of. Slip-and-fall accidents are common at hospitals, where cords, machines, and countless fluids can become tripping and slipping hazards. Simple things such as standing too fast after a procedure without proper support from nursing staff, or being dropped while being transferred to a stretcher, can also result in falls. If you have fallen at a hospital and sustained injuries as a result, you may have legal options available to pursue compensation for the harm that you have suffered. In this article we will explain the bases for a hospital fall lawsuit. However, this information is intended to be general. If you would like advice from an experienced South Carolina personal injury lawyer based on your specific case, you are welcome to contact the Gus Anastopoulo Law Firm to schedule a consultation.
When to Sue for a Hospital Fall
Whether you can sue for your fall and what kind of lawsuit to bring depends on the circumstances of your accident. If you slipped and fell while in a hospital and were not being aided or accompanied by a medical professional, the fall will likely be treated as a premises liability issue. In this case, whether you have standing to sue depends on whether hospital staff were negligent in failing to address or warn of the hazard. For instance, if there was fluid spilled on the floor and the staff had been made aware well in advance of your fall but failed to take action to remedy the situation or mitigate the hazard, then they will likely be held liable for your injury. If, on the other hand, you fell off the table during a procedure, or were being helped into a wheelchair by a nurse or doctor when you fell, it may be a medical malpractice issue instead. In this case, you would have to establish that your doctor or medical professional failed to meet the standard of care that another similarly situated medical professional in their position would have provided. For example, if the nurse forgot to put the foot-brake on the wheelchair, so it rolled back as they were helping you into it, causing you to fall, this could constitute medical negligence, as it is standard industry practice to make sure the wheelchair is locked into place before helping a patient into it. You’ll notice that in either situation, merely being injured in a hospital is insufficient to bring a personal injury suit. Rather, you must be able to show that in addition to being injured, your injury was caused by negligence or a lack of reasonable care on the part of the hospital or your medical provider.
Contact the Gus Anastopoulo Law Firm
If you have been injured in a slip or fall accident in a hospital that was not your fault, Charleston personal injury lawyer Gus Anastopoulo can review the facts and circumstances of your case to determine the best path forward and will fight to get you the maximum amount of compensation that you are entitled to. Contact the Gus Anastopoulo Law Firm today to schedule a consultation.
