CLAIM: Patient Identified As Fall Risk Left Alone, Falls.
BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2026 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — A Boca Raton woman and her husband are suing Boca Raton Regional Hospital after a January 2025 hospital stay allegedly ended in a devastating, preventable fall. Marcia Cherello, 83, was admitted to the facility on January 16, 2025, to be treated for a respiratory virus and a other issues. Despite her advanced age and documented history of dementia and confusion, the lawsuit claims the hospital failed to implement an individualized safety plan to manage her high risk of falling.
The lawsuit, just filed in Palm Beach County Circuit Court and reviewed by BocaNewsNow.com, claims incompetent care during the early morning hours of January 19, 2025. According to the filing, Mrs. Cherello attempted to get out of bed to use the bathroom on her own. A nurse reportedly found her lying in a puddle of urine near a commode after a bed alarm sounded at 5:50 a.m. The question: why was she left alone?
The fall allegedly left Ms. Cherello with a displaced left hip fracture that required emergency surgery, plus the placement of permanent hardware. The lawsuit alleges the hospital’s negligence was rooted in a “cookie-cutter” approach to patient safety that ignored Mrs. Cherello’s specific needs. Her legal team argues that because the hospital was aware of her cognitive impairments and previous need for a one-on-one “sitter” during a prior admission in 2024, such a supervisor should have been at her bedside before the accident occurred.
The complaint also claims that a physical therapist’s report from two days after the fall reveals the bed alarm in the room was not functioning properly.
Marcia and Santo Cherello are seeking damages in excess of $50,000 for medical expenses, permanent scarring, and physical impairment. Santo Cherello is also suing for loss of consortium, claiming the injury has permanently deprived him of his wife’s companionship and affection. Boca Raton Regional Hospital had not filed a response as of Monday afternoon.
