After a resident falls, the first priority is medical assessment. But in the first hours and days, there are also steps that can protect the injured person and strengthen the family’s ability to seek answers.
Do this right away:
- Ensure the resident is evaluated for head injuries, fractures, dehydration, or complications (symptoms can appear later).
- Ask for the incident report and request copies of relevant nursing notes and documentation.
- Write down the timeline: the approximate time of the fall, what staff said, what you observed, and what changed afterward.
- Preserve discharge and follow-up records (ER paperwork, imaging results, and care instructions).
In Oregon, the legal timeline matters, and early evidence can affect what’s provable later. If the facility later describes the fall as “unavoidable,” having contemporaneous records and a clear timeline is critical.


