Patients receiving medical care frequently face an increased risk of falling due to illness, and healthcare providers have a heightened duty to ensure their safety. When staff members fail to properly assist, supervise, or transfer a patient, the consequences can be catastrophic. Brain injuries from improper patient transfers or falls can occur in a matter of seconds, yet their effects may last a lifetime, and the parties responsible for such harm should be held accountable. If you or a loved one suffered traumatic brain injuries because of negligent handling or inadequate fall prevention measures, you may be able to recover damages in a medical malpractice lawsuit, and you should talk to an attorney. At DeFrancisco & Falgiatano Personal Injury Lawyers, our experienced Syracuse medical malpractice attorneys understand what it takes to demonstrate the fault of reckless healthcare providers, and if you engage our services, we will develop compelling arguments on your behalf. We advocate for injured patients throughout Syracuse, Rochester, and Upstate New York.
How Improper Transfers and Falls Lead to Serious Brain InjuriesBrain injuries from improper patient transfers or falls often occur when healthcare facilities fail to recognize and respond to a patient’s physical limitations or fall risk. Transfers between beds, wheelchairs, stretchers, toilets, or imaging tables require careful planning, sufficient staffing, and proper equipment. When patients are rushed, lifted incorrectly, or left unsupported, they may lose balance and strike their head on hard surfaces such as floors, bed rails, or furniture. Similarly, falls may occur when patients are left unattended despite known fall risks, are not provided with mobility aids, or attempt to ambulate without assistance because call bells or staff are unavailable.
The harm caused by brain injuries from improper patient transfers or falls can range from concussions to severe traumatic brain injuries involving bleeding, swelling, or permanent neurological damage. Patients may suffer subdural or epidural hematomas, skull fractures, or diffuse axonal injury, particularly older adults whose brains are more vulnerable to trauma. The resulting consequences can include memory loss, cognitive impairment, speech difficulties, personality changes, seizures, loss of independence, or death. Many victims require emergency surgery, prolonged hospitalization, rehabilitation, and long-term care. These injuries often derail recovery from the condition that initially brought the patient into care, compounding medical complications and significantly diminishing quality of life.
Proving Negligence in Claims Involving Brain Injuries from Improper Patient Transfers or FallsIn most cases, a plaintiff seeking compensation for brain injuries from improper patient transfers or falls must establish the defendant’s negligence under New York law. First, the plaintiff must show that the defendant owed them a duty. The duty a healthcare provider, including hospitals and rehabilitation centers, owes to a patient is to provide competent care. This duty includes assessing fall risk, implementing appropriate precautions, providing adequate assistance, and ensuring that staff are properly trained and supervised.
A breach of duty occurs when the provider or facility fails to meet the accepted standard of care. In cases involving brain injuries from improper patient transfers or falls, breaches may include failing to perform fall-risk assessments, ignoring physician orders for assistance, understaffing units, using untrained personnel for patient transfers, failing to use gait belts or mechanical lifts, or neglecting to respond promptly to patient calls for help.
Because these issues involve professional standards of care, a plaintiff will most likely need a medical expert to testify as to what reasonably competent providers and facilities should have done under similar circumstances and how the defendant’s actions or omissions deviated from accepted practice.
Causation requires proof that the breach was a substantial factor in causing the brain injury. Establishing causation usually requires expert testimony as well. Specifically, an expert may show that proper assistance or supervision would have prevented the fall or improper transfer and that the head injury directly resulted from the negligent conduct rather than an unavoidable accident.
The final element of negligence is damages. Under New York law, patients who suffer brain injuries from improper patient transfers or falls may recover economic damages, including emergency care costs, hospitalization, rehabilitation, long-term therapy, assistive devices, lost income, and diminished earning capacity. Non-economic damages may also be available and can include compensation for pain and suffering, emotional distress, cognitive impairment, loss of enjoyment of life, and loss of independence.
Speak with a Capable Medical Malpractice Attorney in Syracuse, Rochester, or Upstate New YorkBrain injuries from improper patient transfers or falls can abruptly and permanently change a person’s ability to think, work, and live independently. If you or a loved one suffered a traumatic brain injury because a hospital, nursing home, or healthcare provider failed to provide proper assistance or fall prevention, you should speak to a lawyer as soon as possible. At DeFrancisco & Falgiatano Personal Injury Lawyers, our capable Syracuse medical malpractice attorneys are committed to holding negligent providers and institutions accountable, and if we represent you, we will diligently pursue the best possible outcome in your case. Our main office is in Syracuse, and we proudly represent injured patients and families throughout Syracuse, Rochester, and Upstate New York. You can contact us today to schedule a free, confidential consultation through our online form or by calling 833-200-2000.