Riverside County Hoyer Lift Injury Lawyers: Standing Up for Residents Hurt During Transfers

Families trust nursing homes and assisted living communities to move their loved ones safely, and when a lift transfer goes wrong, that trust is broken. Randy Walton and Nursing Home Law Group have spent more than 25 years representing individuals and families victimized by neglect and abuse in the nursing home and assisted living setting, including in Riverside County. Our Riverside County Hoyer Lift injury lawyers help families in Riverside, Corona, Temecula, Hemet, Palm Springs, and across a county that stretches from the Orange County line to the Arizona border.

Riverside County Superior Court hears civil cases at courthouses around the county, including the Historic Courthouse at 4050 Main Street in Riverside, along with locations in Corona, Moreno Valley, Menifee, Murrieta, Banning, Palm Springs, Indio, and Blythe.

Effective August 1, 2026, unlimited civil cases originating from Lake Elsinore, Hemet, Winchester, Homeland, Wildomar, and Murrieta are filed at the Historic Courthouse in Riverside. Filing locations change, so we confirm the correct courthouse before every filing. Local Rule 3118 requires represented parties to e-file civil documents, and Local Rule 3401 sets pretrial rules for trial. Hoyer lift injury lawyers in Riverside County who follow these changes keep families from filing in the wrong place.

In plain English: trial preference. If the injured resident is 70 or older and their health makes delay risky, Code of Civil Procedure § 36 lets us ask the court to move the case ahead of others. If the court grants the request, it generally must set the trial within 120 days. Many nursing home residents cannot wait years for a trial date.

A Hoyer lift uses a sling and mechanical arm to move a resident who cannot safely stand or walk. Used properly, it is a helpful tool. The danger comes from misuse, poor maintenance, and understaffing. Injuries also happen with gait belts, stand-assist lifts, slide boards, and shower-chair or wheelchair moves. We often see:

• The wrong sling size or type
• Improper sling placement or attachment
• One caregiver doing a transfer that policy or the manufacturer calls for two to do
• Unlocked brakes on a chair, bed, or lift
• Inadequate training and competency checks
• Defective or poorly maintained equipment
• Ignoring the care plan or transfer assessment

The injuries can include falls and drops, fractures, dislocations, head injuries, and skin tears. In frail residents, complications can follow and may be fatal.

That is common. Medical records, staff notes, photographs, and equipment records can help show what occurred. Our Riverside County nursing home lift injury attorneys build cases from the records, not only from what a resident can say.

Riverside County has about 575 licensed assisted living communities (residential care facilities for the elderly, or RCFEs), based on 2026 data compiled from state licensing records. Facilities range from small homes to large communities, and families often live far from the building where a loved one was hurt.

When families call our Riverside County Hoyer Lift injury lawyers, we begin with the paper trail: the care plan, transfer assessment, incident report, staffing records, training files, and equipment maintenance logs. We check whether the facility reported the injury to the right agency, and we review the admission paperwork for an arbitration agreement, which can affect where and how a case is heard. We then identify everyone who may share responsibility, including the facility, its operators, and, where appropriate, manufacturers or maintenance contractors.

Imagine an 85-year-old woman with dementia in a Riverside County skilled nursing facility. A single aide moves her from bed to a shower chair without locking the chair’s brakes. The chair rolls, she falls, and she suffers a head injury. The facility reports that she was “found on the floor” and offers no other explanation.

We would request the records, interview family members about what they were told, and look at staffing for that shift. If the case went forward, we would confirm the correct courthouse under the court’s current filing rules and, if her health required it, ask for trial preference.

• Long-Term Care Ombudsman: (833) 772-6624 [VERIFY: confirm this number with the program]; statewide CRISISline (800) 231-4024
• CDPH Riverside District Office (nursing homes): (888) 354-9203
• Community Care Licensing, Riverside regional office (assisted living): (951) 248-2222
• Adult Protective Services (residents outside licensed facilities): (800) 491-7123, 24 hours

As soon as you can. Time limits apply, and records or equipment may change or disappear. A Riverside County patient lift injury lawyer can tell you which deadlines apply to your situation.

For more than 25 years, Randy Walton and Nursing Home Law Group have fought for residents and families harmed by neglect and abuse in nursing homes and assisted living communities. Call our Riverside County Hoyer Lift injury lawyers at Nursing Home Law Group, (866) 607-1325.