Lawsuit: Hilton Head assisted living facility negligent in resident’s fall injuries

A Hilton Head assisted living facility failed to provide adequate safety precautions and care to a resident who was seriously injured after falling twice at the facility, a lawsuit filed this week claims.

Brent Gallagher, a Beaufort County resident, filed the lawsuit against Brookdale Hilton Head Village on June 14 on behalf of his late mother, Noreane Gallagher, who died Sept. 11, 2016.

A public relations specialist with Brookdale told the Island Packet they do not comment on pending litigation.

Noreane Gallagher was admitted to Brookdale Hilton Head Village in December 2014, the suit said. At that time, staff noted she was a fall risk because she used a walker for mobility, the suit said.

Less than a month later, she suffered a traumatic fall when she tripped over the molding and elevation change in her room between the bedroom and bathroom, the suit said.

Staff at the facility were repeatedly warned about the dangerous piece of molding and elevation change, but they failed to take any safety precaution or corrective measure for the hazard, according to the lawsuit.

Noreane Gallagher’s injuries included hip and leg fractures, which required surgery and forced her to be confined to a wheelchair for the remainder of her life.

In June 2015, she fell again when she tried to get up and use the bathroom after waiting “an impermissible amount of time for someone to help her get to the bathroom,” the suit states.

As a result, she suffered head injuries including a broken nose, facial lacerations requiring stitches and headaches, according to the lawsuit.

Brookdale and its staff knew Noreane required assistance in getting to and from the bathroom, but they repeatedly failed to assist her promptly, and therefore failed to comply with federal, state and local rules and regulations concerning resident care, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit argues that Brookdale “violated all basic safety rules” when it failed to assign sufficient and qualified staff to ensure that all necessary care was delivered to prevent accidents and injuries.

According to the company's website, Brookdale Senior Living Inc. operates more than 1,100 senior living communities across the country, including three on Hilton Head Island — Brookdale Hilton Head, Brookdale Hilton Head Court and Brookdale Hilton Head Village.

In South Carolina, falls are the most common injury-related death for adults age 65 and older.

In 2014, there were 417 deaths, 17,471 hospitalizations and 134,448 emergency department visits due to falls across the state, according to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.

This story was originally published June 16, 2017 at 12:39 PM with the headline "Lawsuit: Hilton Head assisted living facility negligent in resident’s fall injuries."