Orange County Hoyer Lift Injury Lawyers: Holding Facilities Accountable for Unsafe Transfers

Randy Walton and Nursing Home Law Group have spent more than 25 years representing individuals and families victimized by neglect and abuse in nursing homes and assisted living communities across Southern California, including Orange County. When a resident is dropped, strained, or hurt during a Hoyer lift or another kind of transfer, our Orange County Hoyer lift injury lawyers investigate what went wrong and who is responsible. We help families in Anaheim, Santa Ana, Irvine, Huntington Beach, Fullerton, and throughout the county.

Experience you can check: Randy Walton is an AV Preeminent rated attorney by Martindale-Hubbell, a distinction signifying the highest level of professional excellence and ethical standards. For his work in personal injury, he has been named to the Super Lawyers list for 12 consecutive years (2014–2026) and was recently selected for the 2026 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. He is a sought-after speaker on California nursing home abuse and neglect law. He is also a member of California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform

Civil cases against nursing homes and assisted living communities are filed in the Orange County Superior Court. Limited and unlimited civil cases are generally heard at the Central Justice Center, 700 Civic Center Drive West in Santa Ana, and complex civil cases are heard at the Civil Complex Center, 751 W. Santa Ana Boulevard. Hoyer Lift injury lawyers in Orange County who know these procedures can avoid delays that cost clients time.

In plain English: arbitration. Arbitration is a private process outside of court. Some admission packets include an arbitration agreement, but whether it can be enforced against your family depends on who signed it, what authority that person had, and what the agreement says. Do not assume you are bound until a lawyer has reviewed it.

A Hoyer lift is a sling-and-hoist device for residents who cannot stand or bear weight. Used correctly, it protects residents and staff. The danger comes from misuse, poor maintenance, and understaffing. Common causes of injury, with a lift or without one, include:

• The wrong sling or device for the resident
• A sling placed or attached incorrectly
• One caregiver doing a transfer that policy or the manufacturer’s instructions call for two people to do
• Pulling or dragging a resident by the arms
• Locks left off a wheelchair, bed, or lift
• Staff who were never trained or checked for competency
• Worn or poorly maintained equipment, or a rushed shift

Residents may suffer falls and drops, fractures of the hip, femur, arm, wrist, or shoulder, dislocations, head injuries, and skin tears. For frail residents, complications can follow and may be fatal.

Orange County has more than 1,100 licensed assisted living communities, called residential care facilities for the elderly (RCFEs), according to 2026 data compiled from state licensing records. Each one moves residents every day. Our Orange County nursing home lift injury attorneys see the same preventable mistakes whether the building is large or small: too few staff, too little training, and rushed transfers.

Our Orange County Hoyer lift injury lawyers start with the records that show how a resident was moved and by whom: care plans, transfer assessments, incident reports, staffing schedules, training files, and equipment maintenance logs. We look at whether the injury was a one-time mistake or part of a pattern. We also identify everyone who may share responsibility, including the facility, its operators, and, where appropriate, equipment manufacturers or maintenance contractors.

Imagine a 79-year-old man with Parkinson’s disease in an Orange County skilled nursing facility. His care plan calls for a mechanical lift and two staff members on every transfer. One night, a single aide uses a sling that does not fit, the sling slips, and he falls and fractures his shoulder. The next morning, the facility tells his son only that he “slipped.”

We would request the records, check whether the facility reported the incident, review the admission paperwork, and identify the right defendants. If the case moved forward, we would file in the Orange County Superior Court. If his health required it, we would also likely ask for trial preference under Code of Civil Procedure § 36, which generally requires a trial date within 120 days once granted.

• Long-Term Care Ombudsman: Council on Aging – Southern California, (714) 479-0107; statewide CRISISline (800) 231-4024
• CDPH Orange County District Office (nursing homes): (800) 228-5234
• Community Care Licensing, Orange County regional office (assisted living): [VERIFY: current contact information]
• Adult Protective Services (residents outside licensed facilities): (800) 451-5155, 24 hours

Yes. Time limits apply, and they vary with the claim and the facts. Because records and equipment can change or disappear, speak with an attorney as soon as you can. An Orange County patient lift injury lawyer can tell you which deadlines apply.

Talk to Orange County Hoyer Lift Injury Lawyers

For more than 25 years, Randy Walton and his team at Nursing Home Law Group have stood up for residents and families harmed by neglect and abuse in nursing homes and assisted living communities. If a lift or transfer hurt your loved one, call our Orange County Hoyer Lift injury lawyers at Nursing Home Law Group, (866) 607-1325.