Many laws exist today to protect Americans of all ages from abuse, and this ranges from infants to adults to senior citizens as well. Unfortunately, even the elderly are sometimes subject to abuse, and many types of elder abuse take place today. Fortunately, if this does happen, the victim can look to elder abuse law for guidance, and attorneys can represent them in litigation against the at-fault party. Such elder abuse law may be relevant against a retirement home whose staff are neglecting or mistreating the residents, for example. Elder abuse attorneys can provide a clear and objective view on the case and determine best how to go forward. Meanwhile, many working Americans also experience slip and fall cases at the workplace, which is more serious than it sounds. Injuries and even wrongful death may happen if, for example, someone slips or trips at a construction zone during work.
Elder Abuse Law Done Right
Not even the elderly, who are respected and venerated in many societies, are exempt from abuse. It is believed that around one in 10 American seniors suffers abuse or neglect somehow, but only 20% of these cases end up reported. Estimates say that elder financial abuse and fraud costs to senior citizens costs anywhere from $2.9 billion to $36.5 billion each year. Abuse to elders can be physical or verbal, but in other cases, it takes the form of financial abuse, since the elderly often have a lot of money saved up. Or, the elderly might be denied money that is rightfully theirs. Seniors who suffer abuse like this experience a 300% higher risk of death compared to their peers who are not abused, and family members of the victim may be quick to pursue litigation if a wrongful death is the result.
Where does elder abuse law fit into this? It may be noted that some criminal acts toward a senior citizen may end up as regular charges, such as assault and battery. Some states, though, have particular laws and criminal charges if the victim is an elderly citizen, often with strict penalties. In recent years, elder abuse laws have become more comprehensive and practical in the face of elder abuse today, due to the large population of elderly Baby Boomers (and they are a large and prominent demographic). Adult Protective Services can also be called upon, to evaluate a case and determine whether elder abuse has taken place. Such interventions may draft a case plan on behalf of an abused senior, evaluate the victim’s risks, arranged for needed care and financial support, and evaluate whether the victim is able to fully understand the risks and give informed consent. Litigation may soon follow, where the senior and/or their younger family members hire a lawyer to confront the at-fault party.
Workplace Injuries
Some lines of work today are quite physically demanding, especially construction. At a construction site, there are many hazards, and construction workers may turn to their crew’s lawyer or find personal injury law firms if they get badly hurt on the work site. Tripping or slipping may sound like a mundane accident, but in a construction zone, it is highly hazardous. While a worker is walking around on a partially built structure’s higher floors, they can slip on protective papers or on spilled liquids, and end up falling out of the building and onto concrete, piles of bricks, or a construction vehicle, among other hazards. A fall like this can break bones, cause a concussion, or even kill the victim. It may also be noted that some other, safer jobs may still expose a worker to slip and fall problems, such as if an office worker slips on spilled liquids or other hazards in a stairwell and falls all the way down.
Should this happen, the victim can consult local personal injury law firms and consult the lawyers working there, which may or may not incur a fee, and hire one. This is fairly common; in 2016, for example, 9.2 million people required treatment at the ER due to fall-related injuries, and some of those falls probably took place at work. In 2015, some 33,000 people lost their lives due to trauma while falling. In that case, the family may hire wrongful death attorneys.