San Francisco Bay Area Hoyer Lift Injury Lawyers: Helping Families After Unsafe Resident Transfers

A fall during a transfer can change a family’s life in seconds. Whether a resident was being lifted from bed, helped onto a commode, or moved into a wheelchair, the care team owes them a safe transfer. If your loved one was hurt in a Bay Area nursing home or assisted living community, you need San Francisco Bay Area Hoyer lift injury lawyers who take these cases seriously.

For more than 25 years, Nursing Home Law Group has represented individuals and families victimized by neglect and abuse in the nursing home and assisted living setting. We help families in San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Fremont, Walnut Creek, Santa Rosa, and throughout the region.

Look for new pain or bruising after a transfer, a resident who becomes afraid of being moved, explanations that change, incident reports that are not shared, and staff who will not say who performed the transfer.

A Hoyer lift is a sling-and-hoist device for residents who cannot bear their own weight. Used properly, it is a helpful tool. The danger comes from misuse, poor maintenance, and understaffing.

Injuries also happen with manual and two-person lifts, gait belts, stand-assist lifts, slide boards, ceiling lifts, shower-chair and wheelchair transfers, and stretcher moves. Rough repositioning in bed can tear fragile skin.

• Using the wrong sling or device
• Placing or attaching the sling improperly
• One caregiver performing a transfer that policy or the manufacturer calls for two to do
• Grabbing or pulling a resident by the arms
• Failing to lock wheelchair or bed brakes
• Defective or poorly maintained equipment
• Inadequate training and competency checks
• Rushing on a short-staffed shift
• Not following the care plan or transfer assessment

Residents may suffer falls and drops, fractures of the hip, femur, arm, wrist, or shoulder, dislocations, head injuries, skin tears, and bruising. For frail seniors, these injuries can lead to complications, including death.

Our San Francisco Bay Area Hoyer Lift injury lawyers start with why the injury happened. Was the unit understaffed? Was the caregiver trained on that device? Was the equipment inspected? Was the care plan followed? Claims may be made against the facility and its operators and, where appropriate, equipment manufacturers or maintenance contractors. Bay Area nursing home transfer injury lawyers also look for patterns in prior complaints and inspections.

The Bay Area spans nine counties, and each has its own programs. Use the county where the facility is located. To report suspected abuse or neglect to Adult Protective Services in any Bay Area county, call the statewide line at (833) 401-0832 and enter the ZIP code when prompted. It is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. For the Long-Term Care Ombudsman, call your county’s program below or the statewide CRISISline at (800) 231-4024. Nursing home complaints go to the CDPH district office serving the county, and assisted living complaints go to the Community Care Licensing regional office.

• Alameda County: Ombudsman (510) 638-6878; CDPH East Bay District Office (866) 247-9100; Community Care Licensing, Oakland (510) 286-4201
• Contra Costa County: Ombudsman (925) 685-2070; CDPH East Bay District Office (866) 247-9100; Community Care Licensing, Oakland (510) 286-4201
• Marin County: Ombudsman (415) 473-7446; CDPH Santa Rosa District Office (866) 784-0703; Community Care Licensing, Rohnert Park (707) 588-5026
• Napa County: Ombudsman (707) 255-4236; CDPH Santa Rosa District Office (866) 784-0703; Community Care Licensing, Rohnert Park (707) 588-5026
• San Francisco County: Ombudsman (415) 751-9788; CDPH San Francisco District Office (800) 554-0353; Community Care Licensing, San Bruno (650) 266-8800
• San Mateo County: Ombudsman (650) 780-5707; CDPH San Francisco District Office (800) 554-0353; Community Care Licensing, San Bruno (650) 266-8800
• Santa Clara County: Ombudsman (408) 944-0567; CDPH San Francisco District Office (800) 554-0353 (Cupertino, Los Altos, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Santa Clara, Saratoga, Sunnyvale) or San Jose District Office (800) 554-0348 (San Jose, Los Gatos, Campbell, Milpitas, Morgan Hill, Gilroy); Community Care Licensing, San Jose (408) 324-2112
• Solano County: Ombudsman (707) 644-4194; CDPH Sacramento District Office (800) 554-0354; Community Care Licensing, Rohnert Park (707) 588-5026
• Sonoma County: Ombudsman (707) 526-4108; CDPH Santa Rosa District Office (866) 784-0703; Community Care Licensing, Rohnert Park (707) 588-5026

1. Get your loved one medical care.
2. Photograph injuries.
3. Write down dates, times, and names.
4. Request the care plan, transfer assessment, and incident reports.
5. Report the incident to the right agency.
6. Talk to a lawyer before signing any release or arbitration document.

A Bay Area Hoyer lift accident attorney can act quickly to help preserve evidence.

You should not have to carry this alone. For more than 25 years, Nursing Home Law Group has stood up for residents and families harmed by neglect and abuse in nursing homes and assisted living communities. Call our San Francisco Bay Area Hoyer Lift injury lawyers at Nursing Home Law Group, (866) 607-1325, and speak with Hoyer Lift injury lawyers in the San Francisco Bay Area who understand these cases.