San Diego Nursing Home Hip Fracture Lawyer

When hip fractures occur in nursing homes, even if the senior is alone and the broken bone results from a slip and fall, the skilled nursing facilities may be liable for damages. Nursing homes have a duty to ensure that the premises are safe for seniors in the facility, including those who have difficulty getting around, by prepared a plan of care that outlines how the keep the resident safe. Indeed, nursing homes also have a duty to provide assistance to nursing home residents who lack mobility. If you or an elderly loved one in a Southern California nursing home recently sustained a hip fracture, you should seek advice from a San Diego nursing home hip fracture lawyer as soon as possible.

Hip fractures are among the most debilitating types of broken bone injuries, especially in cases involving seniors over the age of 65. Indeed, as Yale Medicine explains, a majority of older adults who sustain hip fractures will require surgery. Beyond the immediate pain and suffering of a hip injury and resulting surgical intervention, hip fractures also increase a senior’s likelihood of another fall and, ultimately, death.

Yale Medicine explains that hip fractures typically “fall into one of two categories—those caused by a high-intensity trauma, such as a fall from a high place or a motor vehicle accident, and those that result from a fall, especially in someone with age-related osteoporosis.”

In diagnosing and treating hip injuries, especially in seniors, Yale Medicine underscores the need to attend to the following issues and concerns in order to prevent subsequent harm:

• Need for quick identification of a hip fracture through a physical examination of the patient and an x-ray;
• Management of pain with medications that do not cause dangerous interactions with a senior’s current drug regimen or increase an elderly patient’s likelihood of death due to complications associated with opioid drugs;
• Preventing blood clots and bed sores in patients due to immobility; and
• Performing surgery within 24 hours of the hip fracture to reduce the risk of additional harm and injury.

Every type of nursing home abuse or neglect lawsuit in San Diego has a statute of limitations that governs the amount of time a plaintiff has to file a claim for financial compensation. Under California law, injured nursing home residents usually have one year from the date of the accident or other incident that resulted in the hip fracture. Failure to file a lawsuit within that one-year time window can result in the claim becoming time-barred under California law, so it is critical to get started on your case with a nursing home abuse lawyer in San Diego as soon as possible. Under certain factual scenarios, the statute of limitations might be two-years, but our San Diego nursing home hip fracture lawyers recommend strongly that a case is initiated before the one-year anniversary of the injury.

Do you have questions about holding a nursing home accountable for a hip fracture? Skilled nursing facilities in Southern California may be liable for hip fractures injuries in a wide variety of circumstances, and it is important to seek advice from our San Diego nursing home hip fracture attorneys about your options for seeking financial compensation. Contact the Southern California Nursing Home Law Group today for more information about filing a claim.