Maison Law can guide you through the claims process when you or someone you care about has been injured inside a Los Angeles drug rehab facility. Drug addiction wreaks havoc on the lives of people throughout Los Angeles, and whether you’re the one in treatment or someone you love is, it’s incredibly difficult to deal with. That only increases when the facility is negligent and you get hurt. Our team can help you through the aftermath. Set up a free consultation today.
Should I Get a Lawyer?
Being in drug rehab comes with certain expectations. You’re probably prepared for long days of detox and working toward getting better. That’s true no matter what facility you’re in—whether it’s a small private facility or part of a larger healthcare system. However, everything can change in an instant when negligence comes into play and you get hurt.
At that point, you have a lot of questions, including whether you should get a lawyer. The short answer is you don’t always, but in this situation, it’s often in your best interest. Our team at Maison Law will help you by:
- Looking closely at the situation to see whether negligence may have played a role
- Finding out who might actually be responsible for the injury
- Gathering important records and documentation from the facility
- Handling the talks with the rehab center and their insurance company
- Explaining what your options might look like if you decide to file an injury claim
For many people in your position, the biggest benefit is simply having someone take over the complicated parts of the process. You’re already dealing with enough, and trying to deal with an injury claim on top of everything else is overwhelming. But this leads naturally to the next question: how does negligence cause injuries in this kind of environment?
What Kinds of Negligence Causes Injuries in a Drug Rehab Facility?
Every drug rehab facility in Los Angeles is different. Some are run by huge corporations, some are small and privately owned. But across the whole ecosystem, one thing is constant: the patients are fragile. This means that it’s a huge investment of time and effort to give them the level of care they need—but more to the point, the level of care that the law in California demands.
Unfortunately, no matter how they decide to implement their plans, negligence is always a threat in this environment. It’s not hard to see how this creates injury risks, but it’s helpful to look at what kinds there are:
- Understaffing is at the bottom of a lot of negligence. Management decides how to actually staff the facility, and while there are legal requirements for patient-to-staff ratios in these places, they usually try to run with as few staff as possible to save costs. That obviously leads to problems with lacking supervision, responding to emergencies, and similar issues.
- Security and maintenance. Drug rehab facilities are still buildings, and that means keeping it secure and safe. When security is lax or maintenance gets overlooked, it allows dangerous things in and dangerous conditions where patients are.
- Medical care. There’s also the actual medical care that the facility provides. If they’re negligent with the medication they give you or the equipment they use, you and the other patients can easily get hurt.
Most of these situations come down to the same basic issue: the facility didn’t provide the level of care and supervision people reasonably expect when they enter treatment. That leads to another important question—who may actually be responsible when someone gets hurt inside a rehab facility?
Who’s Liable For Injuries That Happen in a Drug Rehab Facility?
Rehab facilities are licensed care providers, which means they generally have a legal responsibility to keep patients reasonably safe while they’re under their supervision. When someone enters treatment, the facility takes on the duty of providing a safe environment and appropriate care.
If negligence inside the facility leads to an injury, the rehab center itself usually carries most of the responsibility under the law. But it doesn’t stop there. Others that contributed to what happened can share liability, like:
- Doctors, nurses, or trained medical staff
- Maintenance or security workers, including contracted companies.
- Companies that provided faulty medication, medical equipment, food, or anything else.
From the outside, figuring all this out seems pretty simple. In reality, though, it often takes time to review records, understand how the facility operates, and figure out exactly what went wrong and why. But once you have that, you can move forward with a claim.
What Kind of Claim Do I File When I’m Injured in a Drug Rehab Facility?
Something that often gets overlooked about actually filing an injury claim after an injury in a drug rehab facility is that it’s legally the same as any other type of injury claim. That means you have two options, generally speaking:
- Filing an insurance claim out of court.
- Filing a personal injury lawsuit.
Every situation is different. Some claims resolve through negotiations with the insurance company, while others take longer and move through the court system. One way or the other, though, it allows you to potentially get financial support for your “damages” like:
- Current and future medical expenses
- Current lost wages or lost earning potential if you can’t work anymore
- Repair/replacement costs for damaged clothing or other property
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Reduced quality of life
- Wrongful death expenses in fatal incidents
As with any injury claim, there’s a legal deadline in place. You generally have just two years from the date of the injury to file a claim. That sounds like a lot of time, but the reality is that waiting too long can make it harder to get the evidence you’ll need or move forward with a lawsuit if you need to. Remember, though, you don’t have to make this decision on your own. Our team can help you from the very beginning.
Get Help From Maison Law After an Injury in a Los Angeles Drug Rehab Facility
When you’re in a drug rehab facility in Los Angeles—or someone close to you is—there’s already a lot to think about. The focus should be on recovery and getting through treatment safely. But when negligence leads to an injury, it can suddenly add a whole new layer of stress and uncertainty.
Our team at Maison Law helps people understand what happened and what their options might look like after an injury in a drug rehab facility. If you’re dealing with a situation like this, set up a free consultation with us today. We’ll walk you through what the path forward looks like.
