Elderly Woman Dies from Mechanical Lift
An 84-year-old woman was being placed on a mechanical lift when she was dropped head first from several feet out of the full body lift. The two nursing home residents who were helping her have been reprimanded for failing to properly strap the woman inside the lift.
The woman suffered fatal head injuries, according to the state investigation. Both of the nursing home workers admitted to not crisscrossing the straps below the woman’s thighs before activating the lift. She immediately came out of the straps and struck her head against the lift’s metal frame. The woman was hospitalized for three days and then returned to the nursing home, but her health was failing. After her condition deteriorated, she was moved to a hospice. Two weeks after the initial drop from the mechanical life, she died. The death certificate attributed her death to the fall that had occurred. The assistants were reprimanded for failing to follow the correct procedures for using the lift, and they were also retrained on how to properly use the lift.
When you entrust your loved one in a nursing home, you expect that all the workers are properly trained in all facets of care so that the safety of your loved one is never compromised. The nursing home is responsible for any harm that occurs to your family member, especially if it was due to improperly trained workers. Do not let the nursing home get away with the death of your loved one. Contact a professional who can help your family receive the compensation they deserve.
