Man Suffers Brain Damage from Fall in Emergency Room; Settled for $550,000

A 66-year old man was admitted to the emergency room with symptoms thought to be consistent with alcohol withdrawal. While in the hospital, the patient was told numerous times not to get of bed, but insisted on doing so anyway. When his attending nurse tried to help him stand from the bed, he struck his head on the floor and was diagnosed with subdural hematoma and had to undergo emergent neurosurgical evacuation. He remained in the ICU for four weeks, and after returning home, he underwent two months of inpatient neurocognitive treatment. He now suffers from mild brain damage. Had the nurse employed the required strict fall precautions for the patient, his fall could have been prevented. Hodes Milman obtained a settlement of $550,000 for the plaintiff