The medical bills and other economic losses associated with older adult falls total over $50 billion per year. Medicare and most private health insurance cover some of, but not all of, these costs. Therefore, many older fall victims could be financially responsible for medical bills they cannot pay. Even if a public or private insurance company covers all these costs, other people pay the price in the form of higher taxes and higher premiums. There is no reason you and I should pay for an injury that someone else negligently caused.
Liability issues in fall injury claims are even more complex than these financial issues. Generally, landowners have a duty of care to provide safe environments that are free from fall injury hazards. This duty only applies if the nursing home owner, or another property owner, knew, or should have known, about the hazard.
All these complex issues mean that only the most experienced Marietta personal injury lawyer should handle an older adult fall injury claim. Attorneys not only deal with the issues in the case. They also immediately connect victims with the medical help they need. The injuries listed below are often difficult to diagnose and treat. They require a special doctor’s special attention. The first available ER doctor, or the cut-rate doctor an insurance company adjuster approves, simply will not do.
Head Injuries
Falls can be traumatic and shocking, to say the least. Initial shock symptoms include general disorientation and confusion. Those two things are also the main early head injury symptoms. Therefore, many doctors do not diagnose head injuries or even look closely for them. As a result, these injuries deteriorate and, in many cases, become fatal.
Broken Bones
Many older people have pre-existing conditions, such as arthritis, that increase the risk and severity of broken bone injuries. Usually, a Marietta personal injury attorney can still obtain full compensation in these matters, thanks to the eggshell skull rule. Generally, insurance companies cannot use a victim’s physical or other vulnerabilities to reduce or deny compensation in an injury claim.
Largely because of these pre-existing conditions, doctors must often use more aggressive means, such as metal implants, to surgically reconstruct broken bones. The additional intervention on the front end means longer and more painful physical therapy on the back end. There’s only so much that older adults can tolerate in these areas.
Internal Injuries
Much like head injuries, internal injuries are difficult to diagnose and treat. Frequently, the internal bleeding is less than a trickle. Over time, the small trickle adds up to significant blood loss. Therefore, many internal injury victims must once again be rushed to hospitals. Since they have recently endured serious injury treatment, they are often not in shape to tolerate further medical interventions.
Serious Abrasions
Broken bones are often permanent. They usually involve some loss of use, such as loss of motion in a broken shoulder. Likewise, serious abrasions are usually permanent. No matter what treatments doctors use, the physical scars are usually still visible. Especially if the scar is on a visible area of the body, the injury serves as a permanent reminder of a very traumatic event.
Uncomplicated PTSD
Do not let the name fool you. There’s nothing “uncomplicated” about this form of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. This U-word simply refers to the fact that a one-time traumatic event caused hyper-vigilance, avoidance, anger, depression, and other PTSD symptoms. Only the right combination of medication and therapy addresses uncomplicated PTSD. Many times, this treatment process involves lots of trial and error.