A single misstep near a wet floor or an unsecured wheelchair can turn into months of pain, surgery, and lost independence for an aging loved one. When a fall inside a nursing home leads to a broken hip, families are often left wondering whether the facility bears responsibility, and whether anything can be done to hold it accountable.
At Rubin, Glickman, Steinberg & Gifford P.C., we help families across Pennsylvania answer exactly that question. Our attorneys have spent decades investigating nursing home falls, and we know how to determine when a facility’s negligence turned an ordinary accident into a preventable tragedy.
What Makes a Nursing Home Liable for a Fall
Nursing homes have a legal duty to protect residents from foreseeable harm, including falls. This duty comes from state licensing regulations, federal nursing home standards, and basic principles of negligence law that apply to any facility caring for vulnerable residents.
When we investigate a fall case, we look at whether the facility failed to meet that duty. A facility can be held liable if it failed to properly assess a resident’s fall risk, ignored known hazards like wet floors or poor lighting, understaffed a shift so residents could not get timely help, or failed to use appropriate mobility aids like bed rails or transfer belts. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 83% of hip fracture deaths and 88% of hip fracture-related emergency department visits and hospitalizations among older adults are caused by falls, underscoring how serious these incidents can become when nursing homes fail to prevent them.
Common Causes of Nursing Home Falls That Lead to Hip Fractures
Hip fractures rank among the most severe injuries a fall can cause, largely because the resident population in nursing homes tends to be older and more fragile than the general public. Several recurring conditions inside facilities contribute to these injuries.
Environmental and Staffing Failures
Wet floors, cluttered hallways, poorly lit rooms, and broken equipment create hazards that a properly staffed facility should catch and correct. Regular safety inspections and prompt maintenance requests are basic obligations, not optional extras, for any facility housing residents who are already at higher risk of falling. When nursing home falls happen because staff failed to fix a known hazard or failed to respond quickly to a resident’s call for help, the facility may be liable for the resulting injury.
Medication and Medical Oversight Issues
Certain medications, including sedatives and blood pressure drugs, can cause dizziness or unsteady balance. When a facility fails to monitor how medications affect a resident’s mobility, or fails to update a care plan after a change in condition, the risk of a fall rises sharply. Our medical malpractice team frequently sees cases where inadequate monitoring played a direct role in a resident’s injury.
Steps We Take to Build Your Case
Once we take on a nursing home fall case, we move quickly to preserve evidence and build the strongest possible claim on your family’s behalf. We begin by:
- Requesting records: We obtain the resident’s full medical chart, incident reports, and internal fall risk assessments.
- Interviewing staff and witnesses: We speak with employees, other residents, and visitors who may have seen what happened.
- Consulting medical professionals: We work with clinicians who can explain how the fall caused the fracture and what the facility should have done differently.
- Reviewing facility history: We check for prior citations, complaints, or violations tied to falls or understaffing.
Building this record early helps us establish exactly how the facility’s actions, or inaction, led to your loved one’s broken hip. We also calculate the full scope of your damages, including surgical costs, rehabilitation, and the pain and suffering that comes with losing independence later in life.
Why Pennsylvania Families Trust Our Firm
Rubin, Glickman, Steinberg & Gifford P.C. has served Pennsylvania families for over 65 years, and U.S. News & World Report has named us a Best Law Firm every year since 2010. Our attorneys understand the physical and emotional toll a hip fracture takes on an aging parent or grandparent, and we approach every nursing home abuse case with the attention it deserves.
If your loved one suffered a broken hip after a fall in a Pennsylvania nursing home, we encourage you to reach out. We offer a free initial consultation to review what happened and explain your legal options, and there are no fees unless we recover on your behalf. Contact us today through our contact form to talk with our team about your family’s situation.
Rubin, Glickman, Steinberg & Gifford P.C.
Pennsylvania Attorney's
October 6, 2026
