Fracture Injury During Transfer at Garden Court Chateau
Garden Court Chateau femur fracture to resident after fall from lift. According to a report from the Minnesota Department of Health, the facility neglected the resident when the nurse failed to reassess the resident after he fell and reported ten out of ten pain for two days. Facility staff failed to immediately report the fall and the increasing complaints of pain to the nurse. The resident was diagnosed with a femur fracture and required surgery.
Delay in Getting Emergency Care After Fracture
The Minnesota Department of Health determined neglect was substantiated. The facility was responsible for the maltreatment. The resident was lowered to the floor during a staff-assisted transfer and later complained of severe pain. The resident was not assessed following the incident, as facility staff did not report the incident or the resident’s complaints of pain to the registered nurse (RN) until the next day. The RN was notified of concerns by the resident’s family the next day when they questioned why the resident was still in bed at noon and complaining of pain. The resident was sent to the hospital for further evaluation 17 hours after the initial fall, where he was diagnosed with a femur fracture that required surgical repair.
According to the MDH report, during an interview, the RN stated when the resident fell, she was working full time as the nurse manager. The RN indicated the facility was very short staffed at the time and many of her hours were spent working as a ULP. The RN stated the ULP who helped with the transfer was a temporary/agency employee who was not trained on how to transfer the resident with his specialized walker. The RN stated she did not supervise the ULP, as that was the responsibility of the owners. The RN stated she was working on the floor as a ULP the morning after the resident fell and had come into the facility around 8 or 9 a.m.
Staff did not tell her about the fall until around 11:00 a.m. when they reported the resident didn’t want to get out of bed due to pain. The resident rated his pain a “ten out of ten” and she was concerned as the resident usually did not report high pain levels. The RN called the CNS to get more information since there was not an incident report or any notes about why the resident was in such severe pain. The RN stated about 30-40 minutes later, while she was trying to figure out what happened, the resident’s family came in and began asking questions. The family agreed to send the resident to the emergency room. The resident was diagnosed with a fracture and did not return to the facility. The RN stated she did not know why staff did not immediately report the fall or why they didn’t tell her when she came in the next morning.
In conclusion, the Minnesota Department of Health determined neglect was substantiated.
Contact An Experienced Attorney to Review Your Case
If you have questions or concerns about fall or fracture from a mechanical lift suffered by someone you love contact Attorney Kenneth LaBore for a Free Consultation at 612-743-9048.
