As nursing home attorneys in Baltimore, Maryland, we have been following a recent lawsuit filed by a former resident who accused the home of nursing home negligence after she fell and broke her leg while residing at the home.
According to the lawsuit, Margaret Mock, a 77-year-old woman from Schaumburg, Illinois, was living at ManorCare nursing home for rehabilitation after undergoing hip surgery. Mock claims that on September 26, 2009, while being transported by an employee from her bed to a wheelchair, she fell and reportedly broke her leg in two different places.
Mock claims in the lawsuit that because of her already weakened state, she was unable to undergo surgery to repair her broken leg—causing her to remain in the nursing home for another five months. Mock is also suing St. Alexius Medical Center for negligence, along with ManorCare and their parent companies, as she developed a pressure sore during her stay at the hospital.
As our Maryland nursing home injury lawyers reported in a recent blog, according to the CDC, muscle weaknesses and walking problems are among the most frequent causes of nursing home falls, leading to 24% of reported falls. Medications can also increase the risk of falls, as well as environmental hazards like wet floors, poor lighting, ill-fitting wheelchairs, or incorrect bed heights, leading to a reported 16-27% of nursing home falls.
According to federal law, under the Nursing Home Reform Act of 1987, all nursing home or extended-care residents are entitled to receive quality healthcare and attention in an environment that maintains or improves the quality of their mental and physical health and is free from nursing home falls. ManorCare is being accused of negligence, and for violating the Nursing Home Act by failing to use caution while transporting Mock from her bed to the wheelchair, as Mock was at-risk for falls during her recovery from hip surgery.
Mock is reportedly currently living in her own home, recovering with care from nurses and her husband. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages of over $50,000 plus any additional court costs.
If a Maryland nursing home resident becomes injured because of negligence, the home could be held liable for Maryland nursing home negligence. Contact Lebowitz and Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers today for a free consultation about your rights.
Schaumburg Woman Sues Nursing Home After Fall, Trib/Local Schaumburg News, November 17, 2010
Related Web Resources:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC)