Hospitals are one of the last places you expect to get injured. Unfortunately, slip and fall accidents in hospitals can and do happen. Often, these kinds of accidents are preventable. Whether you’re a patient seeking care, a visitor supporting a loved one, or a healthcare worker simply doing your job, hospitals should be places where safety comes first. When hospital maintenance or oversight fails, the result can be painful, debilitating, and even life-altering in the most serious cases. If you’ve been involved in a hospital slip and fall, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries, lost wages, and medical expenses.
Common Causes of Hospital Slip and Fall Accidents
Despite strict protocols and professional standards, slip and fall accidents can still occur in places like patient rooms, hallways, waiting areas, cafeterias, and building entrances. With the constant movement of patients, visitors, equipment, and staff, known risks must be addressed quickly. Some of the most common causes of hospital slip and fall accidents include:
- Wet floors from cleaning or spills
- Icy and snowy sidewalks or entrances during winter months
- Dim or inadequate lighting in hallways or stairwells
- Loose wires, cords, or medical equipment left in walkways
- Uneven flooring, loose tiles, and broken pavement
- Lack of handrails in critical areas
- Improperly fitted hospital footwear, such as hospital socks
Who Is Responsible for a Hospital Slip and Fall?
Hospital slip and fall cases fall under BC’s Occupiers’ Liability Act. This doctrine establishes that property owners or those put in charge of managing the property must take reasonable steps to ensure the premises are safe. When someone on a property is harmed or injured as a result of unsafe conditions, the owners or operators could be held legally liable. However, the Occupiers’ Liability Act doesn’t mean that property owners and managers must be perfect in their actions; their duty of care must be reasonable. Take the following example:
A patient is walking down the main hospital corridor on their way to a diagnostic appointment. The floor has just been mopped, but there are no wet floor signs or barriers in place to warn people of the hazard. The patient slips, falls, and fractures their wrist. In this case, the hospital could be liable because it failed to provide a warning about a known and temporary hazard. The hospital staff should have left adequate signage in the area to alert passersby.
If, in this same example, the freshly mopped floor had a brightly colored “Caution: Wet Floor” sign clearly placed at both ends of the corridor, the hospital has most likely fulfilled its duty of care. The warning signs alert patients, staff, and visitors to the caution they need to employ when walking on the still-slippery floor.
When a Hospital Slip and Fall Involves Negligence or Defective Products
While some accidents are due to dangerous premises conditions, others may involve more serious negligence or even faulty medical products.
If your accident occurred while receiving medical care, your case may qualify for medical negligence. Medical negligence is a type of personal injury that involves harm by medical personnel who fail to maintain acceptable standards of care through acts of recklessness, carelessness, or neglect while delivering patient care.
Defective products can also create unsafe hospital conditions when a malfunctioning piece of equipment or a poorly designed product creates a hazard. Broken gurneys, poorly designed hospital slippers, and leaky cleaning products are just a few of the ways a defective product could be involved in a hospital slip and fall.
What to Do After a Slip and Fall in a Hospital
If you’ve suffered a hospital slip and fall injury, taking certain steps can impact your future ability to recover damages. First, it’s critical that you or someone else report the incident to the hospital as soon as possible. You should also request a written copy of the report. Then, have someone take photos or collect videos of the scene and injuries. You should immediately get medical attention even if you think your injuries are minor. Some injuries may initially appear minor but actually be quite significant. Keep records of your diagnosis, treatment, and symptoms. You should also document how your ability to work is affected by the injury. Remember to avoid speaking to insurance companies or hospital administrators about the incident or your injuries without legal counsel.
How a Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help
If you were in a hospital slip and fall, Stephens & Holman can review your claim. If we find that you do have a valid case, we will assist you in investigating the cause of your fall, gathering evidence from surveillance footage and maintenance logs, identifying all liable parties, calculating damages, and representing your best interests in settlements or court negotiations. Contact our team today to learn more or to schedule a consultation.