San Diego County Hoyer Lift Injury Lawyers: When a Patient Transfer Goes Wrong

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. If someone you love was hurt when staff moved them with a Hoyer lift or another transfer method, our San Diego County Hoyer Lift injury lawyers can help you learn what happened and who is responsible. We represent families from El Cajon and National City to Poway, Oceanside, and Escondido.

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 also a speaker on California nursing home abuse and neglect law. He has written and spoken extensively on the subject, including presentations to the State Bar of California and to a wide range of public interest groups, professional organizations, and community audiences.

San Diego County has about 80 skilled nursing facilities with roughly 8,300 beds, and about 600 licensed assisted living communities, called residential care facilities for the elderly (RCFEs). These figures are based on 2026 data compiled from state records [VERIFY against CDPH Cal Health Find and Community Care Licensing]. County officials have also reported that the region has lost more than 3,200 board and care beds since 2019. Thousands of residents in these facilities need help being moved every day, and each transfer is a chance for a preventable injury.

A Hoyer lift is a sling-and-hoist device used to move residents who cannot stand or bear weight. Used correctly, it protects residents and staff. The danger comes from misuse, poor maintenance, and understaffing. Injuries also happen with manual lifts, gait belts, stand-assist lifts, slide boards, and wheelchair or shower-chair transfers. Common causes include:

• The wrong sling or device for the resident
• A sling that is placed or attached incorrectly
• One caregiver doing a transfer that policy or the manufacturer’s instructions call for two people to do
• Staff who were never properly trained or checked for competency
• Broken or poorly maintained equipment
• Rushing on a short-staffed shift
• Ignoring the resident’s care plan or transfer assessment

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

In plain English: Negligence means failing to use reasonable care. “Neglect” under California’s Elder Abuse and Dependent Adult Civil Protection Act (Welfare and Institutions Code § 15600 et seq.) is the failure to give a resident the care they need. In the most serious cases, the law provides remedies that an ordinary negligence claim does not. Whether a case qualifies depends on the facts.

Yes, but both settings carry legal duties. Skilled nursing facilities are regulated by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). Assisted living communities are licensed by Community Care Licensing. We handle both, and our San Diego County nursing home lift injury attorneys can tell you which agency to contact.

Early on, we gather the records that show how a resident was moved and who moved them: the care plan, the transfer assessment, 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. Our San Diego County Hoyer Lift injury lawyers also identify everyone who may share responsibility, which can include the facility, its operators, and, where appropriate, equipment manufacturers or maintenance contractors.

We also review the admission paperwork. Some facilities ask residents or family members to sign arbitration agreements, which can affect where and how a case is heard. Whether one applies depends on the facts, including who signed it and what authority they had.

Civil cases in San Diego County are filed in the San Diego Superior Court, which has four divisions:

• Central: Hall of Justice, 330 W. Broadway, San Diego
• North County: North County Regional Center, 325 S. Melrose Drive, Vista
• East County: East County Regional Center, 250 E. Main Street, El Cajon
• South County: South County Regional Center, 500 Third Avenue, Chula Vista

Imagine an 82-year-old woman with limited mobility living in a San Diego County skilled nursing facility. Her care plan calls for two staff members on every lift transfer. One evening a single aide moves her alone with the wrong-size sling, and she falls and fractures her hip. The incident report calls it “unavoidable.” Her daughter calls us.

We would request the records, check whether the facility reported the incident to CDPH, review the admission paperwork for an arbitration agreement, and identify the right defendants. If the case went forward, we would file in the appropriate Superior Court division and ask for trial preference because of her age and health. Her daughter would hear from us at each step in plain language, not legal jargon.

Often yes. Nursing home complaints go to CDPH, and assisted living complaints go to Community Care Licensing. A report can create an official record, and it does not stop you from taking legal action.

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. A San Diego 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 stood up for residents and families harmed by neglect and abuse in nursing homes and assisted living communities. If a lift transfer hurt your loved one, call our San Diego County Hoyer Lift injury lawyers at Nursing Home Law Group, (866) 607-1325.