Falls

When you get the call that your loved one fell at their nursing home or care facility, your heart drops. You want to believe it was just an accident, something that couldn't be prevented. But the truth is that most falls in nursing homes, hospitals, and assisted living facilities are preventable. At Kenneth D. St. Pé, APLC, we help Louisiana families seek justice when falls happen because a facility failed to provide proper supervision and safety measures.

Falls are not a normal part of aging, and they're not inevitable in care facilities. When someone breaks a hip, suffers a head injury, or ends up in the hospital after a fall, it's often because staff didn't do their job. Federal and Louisiana law require these facilities to assess fall risks and take action to prevent them. When they don't, and your loved one gets hurt, that's negligence.

Why Falls Happen in Care Facilities

Falls in nursing homes and other care facilities happen for reasons that are entirely preventable. Residents don't just "lose their balance" out of nowhere. There are usually clear warning signs that staff should have recognized and addressed:

Lack of supervision for residents who need help walking, standing, or moving from bed to wheelchair. When facilities are understaffed or staff are stretched too thin, residents try to do things on their own and fall.

Failure to use fall precautions like bed rails, non-slip footwear, walkers, or wheelchair locks. These simple tools can prevent falls, but only if staff actually use them.

Medication side effects that cause dizziness, confusion, or weakness. Staff should monitor how medications affect residents and adjust care plans accordingly.

Poor lighting and hazards like wet floors, cluttered hallways, loose carpeting, or broken equipment. Facilities are responsible for maintaining safe environments.

Inadequate assistance with toileting. Many falls happen when residents try to get to the bathroom on their own because no one responded to their call button or checked on them regularly.

Improper use of restraints or removal of mobility aids without proper supervision, leaving residents unable to move safely.

Failure to assess and monitor fall risk. Every resident should be evaluated for their likelihood of falling, and care plans should be updated as their condition changes.

The common thread in all these situations is that someone failed to do their job. Staff didn't check on a resident. Management didn't hire enough workers. The facility cut corners on safety equipment. And your loved one paid the price.

The Devastating Impact of Falls

A fall might sound minor, but for elderly or frail residents, it can be catastrophic. Hip fractures often require surgery and lead to long, painful recoveries. Many residents never regain their previous level of mobility or independence. Head injuries can cause bleeding in the brain, cognitive decline, or even death.

Beyond the physical injuries, falls cause psychological harm. Residents become afraid to move, afraid to ask for help, afraid they'll fall again. That fear leads to further decline as they become less active and more isolated.

And for families, there's the agony of watching someone you love suffer an injury that never should have happened. There's the frustration of dealing with facilities that make excuses or try to blame the resident. There's the financial burden of additional medical care, rehabilitation, and sometimes the need to move your loved one to a different facility entirely.

Nursing Homes Are Legally Required to Prevent Falls

This isn't a matter of "doing their best" or "unfortunate accidents." Federal regulations and Louisiana state law impose clear requirements on nursing homes, hospitals, and assisted living facilities. They must:

• Assess each resident's fall risk when they're admitted and on an ongoing basis
• Create and implement individualized care plans to prevent falls
• Ensure adequate staffing levels to supervise at-risk residents
• Maintain safe premises free from hazards
• Respond promptly to call buttons and requests for assistance
• Train staff on fall prevention protocols
• Document fall risks and interventions in medical records

When facilities fail to meet these standards and someone falls, that's negligence. The law recognizes that these institutions have a duty to protect vulnerable people in their care. When they breach that duty, families have the right to hold them accountable.

We Know How to Prove Negligence

At Kenneth D. St. Pé, APLC, we've represented Louisiana families in nursing home and care facility fall cases for years. We understand how these facilities operate, what safety protocols should be in place, and how to prove when they've failed. Our firm has recovered millions of dollars for families across Louisiana who've watched their loved ones suffer preventable injuries.

Building a fall case requires detailed investigation. We obtain incident reports, medical records, care plans, staffing schedules, and facility inspection reports. We interview witnesses and consult with medical experts who can explain exactly how the fall could have been prevented. Often, we discover that the facility knew your loved one was at high risk for falls but failed to take appropriate action.

We also look at patterns. If a facility has a history of falls, inadequate staffing, or safety violations, that strengthens your case. We don't just focus on the single incident. We examine whether the facility has systemic problems that put all residents at risk.

Lafayette Attorney Fights for Full Compensation

When we take on a fall case, we pursue compensation for every way this injury has affected your family:

Medical expenses, including emergency room visits, hospitalization, surgery, rehabilitation, physical therapy, and any ongoing care your loved one needs to recover.

Pain and suffering for the physical pain of broken bones, head injuries, or other trauma, as well as the emotional distress of the fall and recovery.

Additional care costs if your loved one now requires a higher level of medical attention, in-home care, or placement in a different facility.

Loss of quality of life if the fall resulted in permanent disability, loss of mobility, or cognitive decline that robbed your loved one of their independence and dignity.

Future medical needs if the injury requires long-term treatment, ongoing therapy, or assistance that wasn't needed before the fall.

In cases where the facility's negligence was especially reckless or they knowingly put residents at risk, we may also seek punitive damages to punish the wrongdoing and deter similar conduct in the future.

How Kenneth D. St. Pé, APLC HelpS Louisiana Families

When you contact us, we start by listening. We want to understand what happened, how your loved one is doing, and what concerns you have. Then we investigate thoroughly and advise you on the strength of your case and your legal options.

If we take on your case, we handle everything. We deal with the facility, their insurance company, and their lawyers. We gather evidence, consult experts, and build a compelling case. Whether that leads to a fair settlement or a trial, we fight for maximum compensation and accountability.

We serve families throughout Louisiana, including Lafayette, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Shreveport, Lake Charles, and surrounding communities. Wherever your loved one's facility is located, we're ready to help.

And here's what matters most: we offer free consultations, and we work on a contingency fee basis. You pay nothing unless we win your case. There's no financial risk in getting answers, and there's no obligation to move forward unless you're ready.

Don't Let the Facility Tell You a Fall Was "Just an Accident"

Falls in nursing homes and care facilities are almost never just accidents. They're the result of failures in supervision, safety, staffing, or care planning. When facilities try to brush off what happened or blame your loved one's age or condition, they're avoiding responsibility.

You know your loved one. You know they were placed in that facility specifically because they needed help and supervision. If they fell and got hurt, the facility failed to provide what they promised and what the law requires.

Your loved one deserves justice. Your family deserves answers and accountability. And you shouldn't have to face this alone.

Get a free consultation with Ken St. Pé today. We'll review what happened, explain your legal rights, and fight for the compensation your family deserves. Falls in care facilities are preventable. When they happen anyway, someone needs to be held accountable. Let us stand with you and fight for what's right.