Michigan Hip Fracture Lawyer

A hip fracture from falls and drops are a major problem in nursing homes due to the severity of the injury. Many residents require emergency surgery and hospitalization to repair the broken hip. Too often, a resident’s overall health condition will deteriorate after a fractured hip and lead to an early death.

Our Michigan nursing home lawyers represent nursing home residents and assisted living residents who suffered a hip fracture or broken femur. Family members are often shocked when the facility contacts them to let them know their loved fell and suffered a fractured hip. They want answers and we can get them.

• Nursing home hip fracture statistics
• Common causes of hip fractures in nursing homes
• Can I file a lawsuit against a nursing home?
• Nursing home fall injury settlement example

Hip Fracture in Nursing Home Statistics

The number of hip fractures suffered in U.S. nursing homes is on the rise every year.

With the aging population and increase in the number of nursing residents overall, the reported incidents of hip fractures is also on the rise. These injuries cause serious harm and even death.

A recent study found that more than 2% of nursing home residents will suffer a broken hip. The majority of the injuries occur in senior citizens living in a facility for more than 100 days. However, many residents break their hips within just a few days of their admission.

In total, there are almost 300,000 reported hip fractures in the United States each year. Of that total, approximately 24,000 (8%) occur in nursing home patients.

Women comprise 74.5% of that total number, in large part due to their smaller frames and more frail bones.

Common Causes of Broken Hips in Nursing Homes

Hip fractures occur in skilled nursing facilities for a number of reasons, but the most common are:

• Falls from beds and wheelchairs
• Drops when being transferred to the toilet
• Slip and falls in showers or wet floors
• Unsupervised and unattended falls
• Broken or defective Hoyer lifts

Fractures of the femur bone are also common from a trauma. A femur fracture is a break or crush injury of the thigh bone.

Surgery may be required when this bone is broken. Many times, a diagnosis of a fractured hip is actually a break in the neck of the femur bone.

Many residents fall because they attempt to get out of bed without assistance to use the bathroom when the nursing staff fails to respond to their call button. Other residents fall out of bed onto a tile floor with nothing present, like a floor bad, to soften their fall. And, there are instances when a resident is dropped by a staff member during a transfer from a bed or wheelchair.

Can I Sue a Michigan Nursing Home for Fractured Hip?

A nursing home is responsible for the safety of every resident. In many cases, a resident fall was preventable with proper supervision and fall prevention methods.

Facilities are required to prepare fall care plans to implement appropriate measures, especially in residents with a history of falling.

You can file a hip fracture lawsuit if you or your loved one fell due to the negligence of the nursing staff.

The failure to properly supervise and monitor the resident is often the basis for the lawsuit. Other times, the staff may actually drop or fail to properly assist the patient during a transfer.

The lawsuits seek compensation for the injuries suffered by the resident. Fractured hips often require surgery and lengthy rehabilitation services.

Many times, the patient never regains the same pre-injury level of activity in function. Families often see their loved one start to “go downhill.”

Sadly, many residents never fully recover and begin a period of deteriorating health. Some residents die within weeks of a hip fracture In those cases, the family members can file a nursing home wrongful death lawsuit. These cases often result in substantial settlements.

Nursing Home Broken Hip Case Study

A 79-year-old Michigan skilled nursing facility resident fell in his room after midnight. He was found on the floor at the foot of his bed by a nurse’s aide. He complained of hip pain, but was returned to bed.

The next morning, he continued to complain of pain. A nurse contacted the attending physician and an x-ray was performed. The x-ray showed a fractured femur bone at the hip joint. He had emergency surgery a day later for his broken hip.

A nursing home neglect lawsuit was filed against the facility. It was the resident’s fifth fall in less than 6 months. The case settled for $275,000 at a mediation.

Contact our Michigan Hip Fracture Attorneys

The Buckfire Law Firm attorneys have successfully handled nursing home hip fracture cases. We have won major settlements for our clients throughout the State of Michigan.

We will get all of the medical records and the nursing home chart to determine if negligence caused the injury. If you have a case, we will file a lawsuit for your and demand compensation.

We do not charge any legal fees unless there is a settlement. We pay all case costs. 

Contact us now to start your case.