An elderly patient at high risk for falls was permitted to sustain four falls within four months at the nursing home. As a result of the first of these four falls, the patient sustained a fracture of the right ninth rib. As a result of the third of the four falls, the patient struck his head and sustained a facial laceration that required stitches. As a result of the fourth of the four falls, the patient sustained a left hip fracture, which required open reduction and internal fixation surgery. The patient later died due to an unrelated illness. The patient’s family sued the nursing home for failing to provide proper fall prevention, which permitted the patient’s repeated falls. The nursing home settled the case confidentially for an amount in the mid-six figures.
