If a fall just occurred (or you just learned about it), your immediate goals should be twofold: protect the resident medically and preserve the facts that determine whether negligence occurred.
Right away:
- Ensure the resident is evaluated promptly—especially if there was a head strike, loss of consciousness, unusual sleepiness, vomiting, or sudden confusion.
- Ask staff for the time, location, and circumstances of the fall and what monitoring occurred afterward.
- Request copies of the incident documentation you’re entitled to receive and write down what you’re told while it’s fresh.
Within the next day or two:
- Start a simple timeline: what symptoms you noticed, when you were informed, and which medical visits happened.
- Keep names of witnesses (staff or other residents) and any notes about environmental conditions (lighting, bathroom access, footwear, transfer assistance).
A Post Falls nursing home fall attorney can help you collect and interpret materials so the facility doesn’t control the narrative.


