When you are in the hospital, you have an increased risk of falling and injuring yourself. Therefore, it's essential that the hospital you're staying at does everything it can to reduce the risk that this will happen. When a hospital is negligent in this regard, you may be able to seek compensation for your injuries with the assistance of a personal injury lawyer.

Why Falls are a Greater Risk at a Hospital

You are likely to be frailer, have less balance, and may be disoriented when at the hospital. The hospital is responsible for assessing your fall risk to determine if there are extra safeguards that need to be put in place to reduce your risk of falling.

Unfortunately, many hospitals will fall into routines rather than determining the best way to prevent each individual patient from falling in the hospital. There simply might not be an organization that facilitates teamwork. 

Injuries Caused by Hospital Falls

You might suffer from broken bones, contusions, and bruises. The medical condition that landed you in the hospital can be exacerbated by the fall. You might also be more afraid to engage in activities because of your fear of falling again.

What to Do If You Fall in a Hospital

Once you have fallen and suffered an injury, you should consider contacting a personal injury attorney. Under these circumstances, it can be difficult to prove that your injuries are the result of negligence without an experienced legal team on your side. Oftentimes, hospitals are able to make evidence disappear or may try to blame you for your injuries.

Your attorney will research what happened at the time of the accident and will then use this evidence to show that the hospital was negligent and that the negligence lead to your fall accident. For example, the hospital might have failed to assist you when you were walking from one location to another in the hospital. You might have tripped over a cord or slipped on a slippery floor. 

Damages Awarded for a Slip and Fall Accident

The damages you will be awarded will depend on how serious your injuries are, how expensive your medical bills are, how much pain you are in, and how long it is expected to take you to recover. You will also receive compensation for lost wages and pain and suffering. However, these damages are difficult to calculate without the help of an experienced personal injury attorney.

For more information, contact a local personal injury law firm, such as Cardone Law Firm.

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