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Does a hospital need to provide safe conditions?

On Behalf of | Oct 29, 2018 | Premises Liability

You know that doctors have to provide you with proper care or they could end up facing a medical malpractice lawsuit. For instance, if a doctor uses an experimental tactic without your consent and you get injured as a result, you may be able to sue for compensation.

But what if it is the building itself that is unsafe? What if the environment you enter puts you in harm’s way? Can you then seek compensation after an accident?

You may be able to do so. Offering you a safe environment is part of the hospital’s professional duty to the patients. Those patients need to be safe while they are seeking a diagnosis, getting treatment or recovering from procedures that have already been carried out. If the hospital has unsafe conditions that lead to an accident and an injury, that can breach the duty of care owed to the patient.

For instance, perhaps there is a wet floor between you and your hospital room as you come back up from the cafeteria. It is unmarked. You had surgery a few days ago, and though you can move around, you’re feeling fragile as you recover. When you step on the wet floor, you slip and fall and severely injure yourself, extending your recovery time.

You may then be able to seek compensation from the hospital, even if all the actual medical procedures go well. They still caused you harm and put you at risk when you trusted them to keep you safe. Make sure you know exactly what legal steps you need to take.

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