You may have been admitted to a hospital to receive proper medical attention for your incurred injury or illness. So while you are fighting to reach a full recovery, it is unfortunate if you slip and fall during your stay. This may just further worsen your injuries and damages and overall prolong and complicate your healing journey. Follow along to find out whether you have a case after your hospital accident and how a proficient Toronto slip and fall lawyer at Merricks Law Group, P.A. can help build a legal strategy.
Besides medical malpractice, how else might I get injured in a hospital?
More often than not, medical malpractice is the cause of accidents in a hospital setting. This may be if a physician fails to properly diagnose a patient’s illness; a nurse fails to properly administer a patient’s medication; a surgeon fails to operate on the proper body part; or any other negligent behavior is displayed amongst the hospital staff.
However, other times, such accidents are caused by slips and falls within the hospital’s premises. This is likely due to the carelessness of a hospital owner or its staff. Examples include, but may not be limited to, the following:
- There may be malfunctioning elevators indefinitely out of service, which forces you to use the stairways; even if your physician recommends your use of handicap-accessible transportation.
- There may be hospital equipment (i.e., hospital beds, cleaning carts, medical device cords, etc.) in the hallways that obstruct your walking path.
- There may be dim lighting in the hallways that diminishes the visibility of your walking path.
- There may be inadequate security in the hallways which heightens your chances of being physically attacked.
- There may be poorly maintained handrails in the stairways which heightens your chances of falling.
Do I have a personal injury case if I slip and fall during my hospital stay?
More likely than not, if you entered a slip and fall accident during your hospital visit, then you may pursue a personal injury case against the negligent hospital owner or its staff. Of note, you did not have to necessarily be a patient at the time of your accident. That is, there may still be grounds for a lawsuit if you were a welcomed visitor of the hospital.
This is so long as you can prove that you could not have reasonably avoided the safety hazard in question. In turn, this is so long as you can prove that the safety hazard could have been reasonably cleared by a hospital owner or staff member within a quick timeframe. Evidently, this may require an abundant amount of evidence.
So for your slip and fall accident claim, please consider contacting a talented Ontario personal injury lawyer. Our team at Merricks Law Group, P.A. is ready and willing to assist you.
