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It is not usually an easy decision for families to choose to entrust a loved one’s care in the hands of nursing home staff. Whether their body or mind is deteriorating from old age, dementia, disability, or other medical conditions, nursing home residents often require assistance when getting out of bed and walking around.
Hoyer lifts and other patient lifts can help facility staff move their patients and residents. However, if they are not used properly, the staff’s negligence can result in severe injuries. If you have been injured or have lost a loved one in a patient lift accident in New York, the Dalli & Marino personal injury team may be able to help hold parties accountable for your losses.
What is a Hoyer Lift?
Hoyer lifts are portable devices that help lift and move patients with reduced mobility or total immobility short distances via a sling hung from the floor. These lifts are often used in nursing homes to help patients move from a bed to a chair, chair to a toilet, or be lifted into a bathtub. Since these devices are portable, they are less reliable and not as safe as ceiling-mounted lifts.
Although this device has considerably eased the work of medical staff, it can result in the dropping or mishandling of a patient if it is not used correctly. Nursing home and hospital staff using a Hoyer lift must adhere to transfer guidelines to ensure proper use of the device. If your loved one was dropped or mishandled during the use of a patient lift, the courts could order the negligent nursing home to compensate you and your family for your damages.
Common Causes of Hoyer Lift and Patient Lift Accidents in New York
Falls occurring from Hoyer lifts are usually accidental, but that does not mean that the nursing home did not act with negligence. Some common acts of negligence that can result in Hoyer lift accidents in New York include:
- Understaffing: An understaffed nursing home often results in staff members being overworked and forced to accomplish tasks that require more than one person by themselves. Caregivers may try to use lift devices alone when another staff member is not available, which could result in dropping the patient.
- Unattended patients: Caregivers who leave a patient unsupervised while they are strapped into a lift can be held liable for an accident.
- Lack of training or improper training: Many Hoyer lift accidents happen because the staff members do not fully understand how to use the device safely. Proper use requires the patient to be adequately seated and secured according to the manufacturer’s specifications.
- Ineffective maintenance practices: All machines, including patient lifts, must be maintained regularly to ensure safe, efficient operation. Sling and straps on Hoyer lifts can fray over time, and if left ignored, can cause the straps to break under a patient’s weight.
Suppose the nursing home or its staff have been found negligent during their use of a Hoyer lift. In that case, you could be eligible to recover damages such as medical expenses, pain and suffering, and emotional trauma.
Seek Justice with a Nursing Home Neglect Attorney After a Hoyer Lift or Patient Lift Accident in New York
At Dalli & Marino, LLP, we represent the interests of nursing home negligence victims and their families. Our firm is one of the most experienced and successful personal injury and nursing home abuse law firms in New York. Our goal is simple: to provide people suffering injuries with the highest level of service and representation.
If you or someone you love has been injured or killed in a Hoyer lift or patient lift accident, our personal injury team may be able to help make things right. For a free case evaluation with a New York nursing home neglect attorney, call us today at (888) 465-8790 or send us a completed contact form.
