When most people hear about a medical malpractice lawsuit, they assume a doctor or nurse has done something that has injured or even caused the death of a patient. This, of course is not always true. In Pennsylvania, a hospital can be sued if a member of its staff takes an action or fails to take an action that then results in an injury to a person. Even the actions of a person who cleans the floors can be subject to medical malpractice lawsuits under the doctrine of hospital negligence.

Recently, a Somerset County hospital was named as the defendant in one such lawsuit. The man, who filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania in Johnstown, reportedly injured himself when he slipped on a pool of water that covered approximately 15 square feet of the floor. According to the then patient, he hit both his head and hip when he fell and was rendered unconscious. A hospital employee allegedly spilled the liquid and did not clean it up.

Recently, a Somerset County hospital was named as the defendant in one such lawsuit. The man, who filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania in Johnstown, reportedly injured himself when he slipped on a pool of water that covered approximately 15 square feet of the floor. According to the then patient, he hit both his head and hip when he fell and was rendered unconscious. A hospital employee allegedly spilled the liquid and did not clean it up.

The lawsuit rooted in the slip-and-fall accident alleges a variety of things including medical malpractice, premises liability and negligence. He asserts that as a result of the accident he is no longer able to drive and cannot participate in the recreational activities he enjoys such as gardening, swimming and running. In addition, he claims that he had to quit his job as a professional engineer and surveyor since he could no longer handle the physical aspect of the position.

Perhaps the biggest thing he alleges in his complaint is that the injuries he sustained played a role in the death of his wife. He claims that as he attempted to carry her about six months after the accident he dropped her causing her to spend the rest of her life in different medical facilities. In the complaint he indicated that the fall was ultimately the cause of her death.

Due to the death of his wife the man is seeking damages for loss of consortium. In addition, he is requesting past and future hospital and medical expenses, as well as general compensatory damages.

Source: Daily American, "Somerset Hospital sued in a slip-and-fall case," Judy D.J. Ellich, March 5, 2012