Nursing Home Fall Lawsuit

If your loved one suffered a fall due to negligence in a long-term care facility, you may be able to seek justice by filing a nursing home fall lawsuit. Compensation can help pay for your loved one’s medical expenses, a safer facility, and more. See if a top nursing home falls lawyer may be able to fight hard for everything you deserve.

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Why Take Legal Action?

By filing a nursing home abuse lawsuit, you can seek financial compensation and justice from those who caused you or a loved one harm.

Results Secured

$2.2 million for a Rhode Island resident who had a heart attack
$2 million for the family of a California patient with dementia who passed away due to negligence
$1.5 million for a woman in Minnesota with stage 4 bedsores

Written by: Rae Theodore

Last updated: Jan 17, 2025

Fact-Checked and Legally Reviewed by: Julie Rivers

How Common Are Falls in Nursing Homes?

Falls in nursing homes are quite common, with older adults in nursing homes being more than twice as likely to experience a fall than those not in long-term care facilities.

Between 50% and 75% of nursing home residents experience at least one fall annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

While many of these falls are unavoidable accidents, some are the result of nursing home abuse or neglect. When fall interventions in nursing homes are lacking or staff members are careless, residents can suffer serious and even fatal injuries.

LawFirm.com works with nursing home abuse lawyers who have secured over $304 million for families affected by nursing home falls and other injuries.

Get a free case review now to see if one of our trusted legal partners may be able to file a nursing home fall lawsuit on your behalf and seek the compensation you deserve.

Can You Sue for a Nursing Home for a Fall?

You may be able to sue a nursing home for a fall if it resulted in an injury and was caused by negligence by the facility or its staff members. Nursing homes have a duty to provide a safe environment for residents and can be held accountable if they fail to do so.

Examples of negligence that can lead to a nursing home fall lawsuit include:

Defective wheelchairs
Lack of supervision of patients
Missing bedrails
No nursing home falls protocol
Not enough nursing home staff
Unsafe conditions, like wet floors, cluttered hallways, and poor lighting

An experienced attorney can investigate the cause of falls in nursing homes to determine if the facility’s negligence played a role. If so, they can file a nursing home lawsuit against the facility to hold it accountable.

Steps for Suing a Nursing Home for a Fall

When a loved one suffers a fall in a nursing home, taking legal action may seem overwhelming. However, a nursing home neglect lawyer can handle the entire legal process, so you can focus on your loved one’s care and recovery.

The basic steps involved in a nursing home fall lawsuit include:

Getting a free case review: Top nursing home attorneys offer free consultations to determine if you may have a case.
Collecting evidence: Your legal team will gather evidence like medical records, photos, and witness testimony.
Filing your nursing home falls lawsuit: Your attorney will file your lawsuit against the facility and any other parties who may be responsible for your loved one’s injuries.
Negotiating a settlement: Most nursing home lawsuits end in out-of-court settlements, providing families with quicker access to compensation.

If a nursing home fall settlement isn’t reached, your legal team can fight for your family in court and pursue compensation from a trial verdict.

Did you know?

In 2024, a California jury awarded $20.5 million to the family of an 84-year-old man who passed away after suffering multiple falls in an assisted living facility.

Nursing Home Falls Lawsuit Compensation Amounts

Nursing home fall lawsuit settlement and verdict amounts may vary, depending on the severity of the injury, treatment costs, and more.

Nursing home settlements and verdicts for falls in nursing homes include:

$43.5 million for the wrongful death of an 80-year-old man in Georgia
$4 million to the family of a patient with fatal head injuries from a fall in a Carolina facility
$1.7 million for a nursing home fall victim with a hip fracture
$625,000 to the family of a resident who passed away after suffering multiple falls
$500,000 for a fall risk resident found dead from fall injuries in a Rhode Island facility
$150,000 on behalf of a patient who suffered multiple nursing home falls
$755,000 for nursing home malpractice and brain injury caused by a fall
$1 million to the family of an 89-year-old woman who fell 20 times at a Massachusetts facility and died
$1.95 million for a woman who fell down a stairwell, broke her neck, and passed away

While past case values aren’t a guarantee that you’ll receive similar compensation, a nursing home neglect lawyer will fight to secure maximum compensation as quickly as possible.

Call (888) 726-9160 right now or chat with a case manager to see if you may qualify for compensation from a nursing home fall lawsuit.

Who Is Eligible to File a Fall in a Nursing Home Lawsuit?

You may be able to file a nursing home fall lawsuit if you’re:

A resident who suffered a fall in a nursing home that resulted in harm
The family member of a patient who passed away or is unable to advocate for themselves
The estate representative of a deceased resident

It’s important to reach out to a nursing home lawyer as soon as possible after your loved one has suffered a fall. Deadlines called statutes of limitations limit how much time you have to take legal action for falls in nursing homes.

In some states, families may only have 1 year from the date of the fall or the death of their loved one to file a nursing home fall lawsuit.

A nursing home abuse attorney can explain the specific deadline in your case and act quickly to protect your legal rights.

Injuries Suffered in Nursing Home Falls

Falls in nursing homes can lead to severe injuries like broken bones, brain damage, and even wrongful death. Patients may need expensive medical care to work toward recovery and may never regain the quality of life they once enjoyed.

Fall-related injuries in nursing homes can include:

Concussions
Cuts and bruises
Fractures
Spinal cord injuries
Traumatic brain injuries

When nursing home injuries due to falls are caused by a facility’s breach of its duty of care, families often file nursing home fall lawsuits to seek compensation for medical bills, pain and suffering, and more.

Get a free case review now to take the first step toward compensation and justice for falls in nursing homes.

Fall Prevention in Nursing Homes

While not all falls in nursing homes are preventable, many are. Fall prevention in nursing homes focuses on creating a safe environment for all residents that’s free of hazards and addresses each individual’s specific needs and risk factors.

Fall interventions for nursing homes include:

Assessing each resident’s risk of falling and creating a personal care plan
Installing grab bars in bathrooms and hallways
Eliminating clutter and tripping hazards
Ensuring all walkways and stairways are well-lit
Having bed alarms or other monitoring systems
Providing enough trained staff
Reviewing medications for side effects like dizziness that could lead to a fall
Using non-slip floor mats

When facilities fail to take precautions, falls and fractures in nursing homes are likely to occur, putting the health and well-being of elderly patients in jeopardy.

Filing a fall in a nursing home lawsuit is a way to fight back against assisted living facilities that don’t take the safety of their residents seriously.

Get Help From a Nursing Home Fall Lawyer

LawFirm.com believes that no one should suffer a preventable fall in a nursing home. We’ve partnered with nursing home fall lawyers who can even the playing field for victims and hold negligent facilities accountable.

The nursing home abuse lawyers in our network have secured over $304 million for families affected by nursing home falls and other injuries.

Compensation from a nursing home fall lawsuit can provide the financial support your loved one needs to recover from the physical and emotional trauma of a preventable fall.

Our trusted legal partners:

Are affiliated with top nursing home abuse law firms
Can help families in all 50 states
Have decades of experience
Never charge any upfront costs or hourly fees

Call (888) 726-9160 right now or get a free case review to see if a top attorney may be able to file a nursing home fall lawsuit on your behalf.

Nursing Home Falls Lawsuit FAQs

Are nursing homes responsible for patients falling?

Yes, a nursing home may be responsible for a patient falling if the fall was caused at least in part by the home’s negligence. Nursing facilities have a duty to provide a safe environment and can be held accountable if they fail to do so.

When nursing homes lack adequate staffing or don’t take steps to prevent falls, vulnerable residents may pay the price. A nursing home fall lawsuit is a way to seek compensation for your injuries and send a message that nursing home negligence is not okay.

Get a free case review now to see if you or a loved one may be eligible for compensation.

What are the consequences of falls in nursing homes?

When a nursing home resident falls, it can cause serious injuries like broken bones or head trauma. Residents may also experience psychological distress due to the fear of falling again.

If nursing home negligence caused or contributed to the fall, the resident may be able to file a nursing home fall case to seek financial compensation for their personal injuries.

Do nursing homes have to report falls?

Yes, nursing homes are required to report falls and the severity of any resulting injury under federal and state laws. This allows the facility to get injured residents the care they need and identify hazards that could put others at risk.

Assisted living facilities that fail to comply with these regulations could face fines and even lose their license. They may also face nursing home fall lawsuits filed by patients who suffered fall-related injuries on their property.

Can I sue for an unwitnessed fall in a nursing home?

Yes, you may be able to sue for an unwitnessed fall in a nursing home if your loved one suffered an injury and the facility’s negligence played a role in the fall. Frequent unwitnessed falls could indicate nursing home neglect.

A lawyer can help you gather evidence, like photos, medical records, and the facility’s safety record, to build a strong nursing home falls lawsuit.

Call (888) 726-9160 now to see if we may be able to help you take legal action.

Fact-Checked and Legally Reviewed by: Julie RiversEldercare Advocate

Editor

Julie Rivers is a dedicated eldercare advocate with over 15 years of experience in nursing home neglect and abuse cases. Inspired by her mother’s battle with Alzheimer’s, she blends legal expertise and personal passion to support victims. An MBA graduate and active Alzheimer’s Association volunteer, Julie fights for better eldercare policies and justice for affected families.