Published by Arfaa Law Group
Although bedrails are designed to improve safety, they are often the cause of injuries. If you have been injured in a hospital bed, we may be able to help. At Arfaa Law Group, our skilled Baltimore hospital negligence attorneys can advocate for your rights at every step of the way. You can trust that we will make every effort to get you the compensation you deserve in your case.
Bedrails are plastic or metal rails that run along the side of a bed to prevent people from accidentally falling. Unfortunately, bedrail injuries and deaths are more common than you think. Deaths and injuries often occur when the patient becomes stuck in the rails, mainly with his or her head or neck getting caught.
The Food and Drug Administration reports that since 1985, nearly 1,000 elderly care patients have been caught, trapped, or entangled in the bedrails of their hospital beds. This includes over 500 bedrail injuries that ultimately ended in death. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has also reported about 160 incidents of bedrail injuries, including 155 deaths between 2003 and 2012.
Of course, patient care cannot be perfect, but it must ensure that the patient is reasonably safe. When it comes to bedrails, a hospital can take a variety of measures to make sure a patient’s risk of injury is minimized. For example, the hospital can reduce the gap between the mattress and bedrail so that a person cannot fall between them, the footrest can be accessible to the patient, and high-risk patients can be closely monitored.
If a patient is injured because a hospital fails to take steps to create a reasonably safe environment, the hospital may be liable. Hospitals are required to meet certain standards of care that would be accepted and used by another hospital treating the same type of patients. Typically, an expert is called upon to establish not only the standard of care that was applicable but also how the hospital failed to live up to it. For a medical malpractice claim, you must have been harmed by a careless action or inaction. These types of claims are time-sensitive and must be filed within Maryland’s statute of limitations.
Victims of hospital negligence may be able to recover both economic and non-economic damages in Maryland. It is important to note that experts are also used to show the value of damages. Typically, a plaintiff will be able to recover compensation for medical expenses, rehabilitation costs, lost wages, pain and suffering, and more.
If you or a loved one has suffered an injury due to a bed rail, we can help. At Arfaa Law Group, our Baltimore medical malpractice attorneys have the experience and knowledge to handle your case. We can thoroughly examine the facts of your situation and determine whether hospital malpractice took place. You can trust that we are here to answer your questions and address your concerns. To get a free evaluation of your case, you can call 410-889-1850 or contact us online.
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