Visitor Question

CNA Hit in the Face by Patient…

Submitted By: Aiesha (Chicago, IL)

I am a CNA (Certified Nurse Assistant). As I was changing a patient’s diaper he reached up and hit me in the face. He broke my nose and knocked my teeth out of my mouth. I’m trying to find out what I can do about this and what I should get in compensation.

As a result of getting hit I lost 2 teeth and got a broken nose. I’m not sure what the total medical bills will be yet. Is there any way to know what the payoff will be for my injuries? What should I do?

Disclaimer: Our response is not formal legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. It is generic legal information based on the very limited information provided. Do not rely upon the information in our response, or anywhere else on this site, when deciding the proper course of a legal matter. Always get a personalized case review from a local attorney.

Answer

Dear Aiesha,

What you can do about it is to first make sure you have sought the medical and dental attention you require. You didn’t mention whether you were assaulted in a medical or geriatric facility, or at the man’s home. We mention this because if the assault occurred at the man’s home his homeowners insurance may come into play and be able to provide some compensation for your injuries.

In any event you do have a claim against the man who assaulted you and the company for which you worked at the time of the assault.

Attempting to gauge the amount of compensation you will receive is almost impossible without knowing the extent of your injuries, the medical and dental bills you have incurred so far, and any other costs related to the injury and your treatment and recovery.

Once you have in your possession a breakdown of the total costs, you can then start to consider the amount of compensation you can hope to recover. Normally the amount of a settlement is a multiple of the total cost of the medical bills, referred to in the legal community as “Hard Costs”.

A general description of the total amount might be a multiple of at least 3x the amount of the total Hard Costs.

Learn more here: Legal Action After Assault at Work

The above is general information. Laws change frequently, and across jurisdictions. You should get a personalized case evaluation from a licensed attorney.

Find a local attorney to give you a free case review here, or call 888-972-0892.

We wish you the best with your claim,

Published:

One comment on “CNA Hit in the Face by Patient…

  1. Anonymous says:

    I can answer the question about broken teeth and glasses, not about a nose being broken though. I work in a home and it is up to me and my own insurance to pay, not the company I work for. My glasses have been broken 2 times, each costing $500.00 out of my own pocket.

    I also had a tooth chipped which cost $1,000.00. It shocked me that I had to pay but I did, as I cannot see without my glasses and didn’t like the pain in my tooth so I had it capped.

    The company I work for said they do not take care of any of this, even though I’ve worked in the same home for many years. I’m not happy to have to pay but I am happy I have a job.

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