Maryland Nursing Home Fall Injuries: Is the Facility to Blame?
Your family chose a Maryland nursing home because you trusted it to keep your loved one safe. But what happens when that trust is broken by a preventable fall? If your loved one was hurt in a long-term care facility, our experienced Maryland nursing home negligence attorneys are here to help.
Unfortunately, nursing home falls are not always accidents. Instead, they often result directly from staff failures and poor safety practices. Find out more about the common causes and warning signs that the nursing home’s negligence was to blame.
Why Nursing Home Falls In Maryland Happen
Nursing home falls pose significant risks to residents. Sadly, they claim the lives of nearly 2,000 older adults annually, according to reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Thousands more suffer broken bones, concussions, or other serious harm.
For older adults, fall injuries can jeopardize their mobility, sense of independence, and overall physical and mental health. Maryland law requires nursing homes to assess each resident’s fall risk and create a care plan to address it. When facilities fail to meet that standard, residents pay the price. Common causes of preventable nursing home falls include:
- Understaffing leaves residents waiting too long for help.
- Failure to adequately assess fall risks.
- Damaged or missing mobility aids, such as walkers, grab bars, or bed rails.
- Wet floors, poor lighting, cluttered hallways, and other unsafe conditions.
- Medication errors that cause dizziness or disorientation.
- Inadequate staff training on fall prevention.
These failures often reflect deeper, systemic problems within a facility, rather than a single isolated mistake.
When a Maryland Nursing Home Fall Crosses the Line Into Negligence
When a Maryland nursing home fails to take reasonable steps to protect older adults against falls, it can be held accountable in a negligence claim.
Under Maryland’s Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR), there are clear standards for nursing home care, including requirements for fall prevention, supervision, and resident safety planning. Warning signs that a fall may involve nursing home negligence include:
- No documented fall risk assessment on file for the resident.
- A history of prior falls or complaints that the facility ignored.
- Staff who failed to follow the resident’s established care plan.
- A delayed or inadequate medical response after the fall.
- Missing, incomplete, or inconsistent incident reports.
When these red flags are present, older adults and their families have the right to seek compensation for medical costs, pain and suffering, and other damages.
Contact Our Experienced Maryland Nursing Home Negligence Attorneys
A fall in a nursing home can change your loved one’s life in an instant. At Berman Sobin Gross LLP, our experienced Maryland nursing home negligence attorneys investigate what really happened, reviewing staffing records, safety protocols, care plans, and medical documentation to build a strong case on your family’s behalf.
We hold Maryland nursing homes accountable for negligence. Call or contact us online today and schedule a consultation to learn about your rights and explore your legal options.
Sources:
cdc.gov/falls/data-research/facts-stats/index.html
health.maryland.gov/docs/Long%20Term%20Care%20Regulations%20FINAL.pdf
aging.maryland.gov/pages/oversightcommittee.aspx
