New York Bed Rail Entrapment

A New York bed rail entrapment nursing home attorney is there for you to advise you about your rights and to protect you and your loved one if you need to file a lawsuit against a nursing home or assisted living facility.

Most hospitals, medical care providers and nursing homes use bed rails as a way to help those patients who are in danger of falling out of bed or those who have limited mobility.

Not only can a person get trapped inside their bed, but bed sores can also develop if the person isn’t moved often.

However, one common concern associated with these devices is that they are often misused as a restraint tool and can even endanger the patients they intend to help. Bed rail entrapment is a common situation that can be lodged as a legal claim related to nursing home abuse. This happens when the patient becomes stuck between the mattress and the bed rail or in the bed rail itself. This can cause severe injuries or even lead to fatal accidents.

A New York bed rail entrapment nursing home abuse attorney must be contacted as soon as possible after you realize that your loved one has suffered in a situation like this. A bed rail entrapment nursing home abuse attorney in New York will help to manage your bed rail injury case to the fullest extent possible to recover compensation and to hold the nursing home facility accountable. In 1995, the first safety alert was issued by the FDA relating to bed rails and the risk that can come about by using them on patients.

The primary concern, as shared in this FDA report, had to do with entrapment in the vast majority of victims who were elderly individuals. There are four primary ways that a person can become entrapped in bed rails; between the mattress and the bed rail and between space of the split bed rail, between the bars of the single bed rail, or between the foot board, head board, bed rail and mattress. The 1995 report encouraged safety when using all of these devices and asked facilities to verify whether or not these devices were the most appropriate and that these should never be used as restraint devices. However, unfortunately, far too many medical providers in nursing homes still use these devices inappropriately, putting patients at risk for entrapment injuries.

A bed safety guide was again released by the FDA in 2010. They shared that between 1985 and 2009, more than 800 bed rail entrapment cases had been reported directly to them, with more than half of them leading to death. Portable bed rails are an added danger to hospital beds and those used in nursing home facilities. These are some of the more dangerous types of bed rails because they often are connected to injuries for those people aged 60 years and older. The fatalities and injuries connected with these bed rails can often be blamed on the manufacturers of the devices, the medical facilities using them or both. Victims and family members should be aware that there could be cause for compensation by filing a lawsuit, whether the loved one has suffered bodily injury due to trapped limbs, strangulation, or suffocation, death or increased risk of self-harm and agitation based on the frustration and confusion experienced by the patient who has been affected.

If you find yourself dealing with the consequences of bed rail entrapment injury, it is imperative to educate yourself with the support of a lawyer.