The Los Angeles Times reports that a northern California nursing home was fined when a resident suffered a fatal head injury after falling twice. The 85-year-old resident of Pilgrim Haven Health in Los Altos, California had diabetes and a heart condition and his doctor had deemed him a falls risk and ordered that he use a walker and be placed under close supervision whenever he was walking. The state investigator’s August 3rd report details that he was found in the living room of the facility last October after falling and cutting his head. According to the report, the facility had failed to install a falls alarm. The resident fell again in December and hit his head. Later that evening, he turned pale and began vomiting, and was sent to the hospital. However, when he arrived it was too late. The fall had caused fatal bleeding in his brain.
It is the responsibility of a nursing home to install proper falls-prevention devices and to seek medical attention immediately when a resident falls and hits his or her head. If you believe that a loved one has suffered a falls-related injury because a nursing home failed to do its job, take action and contact the Kosieradzki Smith Law Firm online or call us toll-free at (877) 552-2873 to set up a FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION.
