Spinal Injuries 

Spinal fractures and spinal cord injuries in care facilities follow falls, drops, and improper handling of residents with known fragility, and a nursing home spinal injury lawyer who is a nurse reads the handling orders to prove it.

Osteoporosis makes vertebral fractures common in older adults, and a fall from standing height can fracture the neck or back. A resident who is moved after a fall without spinal precautions, or lifted incorrectly by staff who did not check the care plan, can turn a stable fracture into a cord injury. Paralysis in a care facility is almost always preventable, and the record usually shows how.

How These Injuries Happen

• Falls from bed, chair, or toilet

• Being dropped during a transfer or from a lift

• Being moved after a fall without immobilization

• Rough handling of a resident with known osteoporosis or prior spinal surger

What We Investigate

• Transfer and mobility orders in the care plan

• Who moved the resident after the fall and how

• Staff training on spinal precautions

• Imaging and the neurosurgical record

• Life care needs going forward, which drive the value of the case