HOUSTON — A woman is claiming the fall she suffered while a patient at Memorial Hermann Health was due to the negligence of the staff not putting high fall risk interventions in place for her safety.
Lindsay Welch filed a complaint July 24 in Harris County District Court against Memorial Hermann Health System, doing business as Texas Medical Center, alleging negligence.
According to the complaint, Welch was taken to a local emergency room on Oct. 22, 2018, due to experiencing a "very severe headache," along with nausea and neck pain. Welch was diagnosed with a subarachnoid hemorrhage stroke that caused an aneurysm and bleeding in her brain. She was air lifted to Memorial Hermann where she underwent surgery.
Welch's suit states that during her treatment she had an extremely high fall risk due to her cognitive impairment from the brain surgery and the medications she was given. Welch suffered a fall in her hospital room on Oct. 31 while trying to use the bathroom and suffered a fractured ankle.
She alleges in her complaint that prior to her fall, a nurse negligently placed her on "moderate fall risk interventions" when she should have been placed under "high fall risk intervention" due to physical therapist evaluations that showed she had "cognitive and balance deficits."
Welch seeks monetary relief, trial by jury, interest and all other just relief. She is represented by James Edwards of The Law Offices of Jim Edwards PLLC in Houston.
Harris County District Court case number 2020-44184