Kingston, New York Medical Malpractice Attorney Discusses Large Settlement In Elder Fall Case

Recently, I wrote a post how most falls involving elderly people are due to a loss of balance. However, recently in Cook County (in Illinois) a 95-year-old man who slipped and fell settled her case. The settlement was $1.375 million and the largest in settlement for a person over 90 years old in that county. Normally, I try to keep this blog to issues in New York State, however, this is an important case to mention due to my previous article and the amount of the settlement.

The 95-year-old man slipped and fell when he entered an office building near his home. The fall was due to a wet floor for which the building did not provide any warnings signs. The plaintiff alleged a janitorial staff member of the office building mopped the floor prior to the man’s entrance to the building. The plaintiff offered the building’s surveillance footage as evidence of this.

Due to the fall, the 95-year-old man fractured his femur. At the hospital, while he was being treated for his fractured leg the man suffered a stroke. After the man suffered this stroke, his condition continued to deteriorate and he eventually died six months after the fall in a nursing home. Prior to the fall, the plaintiff was mobile and lived on his own.

This story is important because even though I wrote not too long ago about the study finding that most falls of the elderly are due to a loss of balance, not all falls are caused by a loss of balance, many are still due the negligence of others. If you know someone who fell because of the fault of another, or what you think might be the fault of another, please contact us. If an elderly person falls, it can cause serious trauma to the victim’s body, which may cause other physical issues, and if this occurs anyone in that situation deserves to be protected and taken care of.

But what do you think? I would love to hear from you! Leave a comment or I also welcome your phone call on my toll-free cell at 1-866-889-6882 or you can drop me an e-mail at jfisher@fishermalpracticelaw.com . You are always welcome to request my FREE book, The Seven Deadly Mistakes of Malpractice Victims, at the home page of my website at www.protectingpatientrights.com.