Naples: A patient who fell in the hospital ward and contracted a hospital infection has been sentenced to €350 in compensation for his family.

Naples - According to the judge, the woman's death can be attributed, according to the "more likely than not" criterion, to the link between a fall from her bed during hospitalization and the subsequent development of a nosocomial infection. The family's lawyers, who speak of "justice finally achieved," have accepted the arguments.

The Court's decision

The Court of Naples has ordered the Colli Hospital Authority, which includes the Monaldi, Cotugno, and CTO hospitals, to compensate the family of a patient who died after being hospitalized in August 2023. The ruling, published on February 16, 2026, recognizes the healthcare facility's liability and awards compensation of approximately €350, plus monetary revaluation, interest, and court costs.

The judge accepted the conclusions advanced during the proceedings by the family's lawyers and medical-legal experts, deeming the causal link between the critical issues found in the healthcare system and the woman's death to be proven.

Falling out of bed during hospitalization

At the centre of the story is an episode which, according to what was reconstructed during the trial, marked the beginning of the patient's clinical deterioration.

The woman, despite being considered at risk of falls in hospital, was apparently not subjected to all the protective measures required by healthcare protocols. During her hospital stay, she fell from her bed, suffering a femoral fracture.

According to the Court, risk management was not adequate given the patient's clinical conditions.

Critical issues in infection prevention

The expert opinion highlighted further liability issues, focusing on the prevention of healthcare-associated infections.

According to the panel of experts, no evidence was provided during the trial that all the preventive procedures recommended by the scientific community to contain the risk of nosocomial infections had been adopted.

The consultants appointed by the Court reconstructed a causal sequence in which the trauma resulting from the fall and the subsequent hospital-acquired sepsis would have led to a progressive worsening of the patient's clinical conditions, leading to cardiorespiratory failure that caused her death.

The causal link recognized by the judge

In its ruling, the Court deemed the connection between the critical healthcare issues and the woman's death to be established, applying the "more likely than not" civil law criterion, a parameter normally used in medical liability proceedings.

The decision represents a further pronouncement on the issue of healthcare safety and the obligation of healthcare facilities to adopt all necessary measures to prevent avoidable adverse events.

Lawyers: "Patient safety is a must."

The patient's family was assisted by lawyers Pierlorenzo Catalano, Michele Francesco Sorrentino, and Filippo Castaldo of Studio Associato Maior, with the support of medical examiner Marcello Lorello.

The professionals expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the trial.

This ruling represents recognition of the thorough and rigorous work carried out together with our medical-legal consultants. The Court fully accepted the technical conclusions that highlighted significant critical issues in clinical risk management, from fall prevention to the management of healthcare-associated infections.

According to the lawyers, the ruling reaffirms that patient safety is a fundamental obligation for every healthcare facility.

"Preventing adverse events and adhering to care procedures are essential aspects of treatment. We are pleased that the validity of our arguments has been recognized and that the family has been guaranteed adequate compensation for a particularly serious situation."