REHAB MALPRACTICE LAW
Patient Escape & Elopement in Florida
When a Facility Lets a Vulnerable Patient Walk Into Danger, We Hold Them Accountable
When a patient in crisis leaves treatment and no one acts quickly, families are left with fear, unanswered questions, and preventable tragedy. Facilities are required to protect high-risk patients, not abandon them.
✔ We understand elopement protocols & safety standards
✔ We investigate failures facilities try to hide
✔ We move with urgency and compassion
✔ Your family’s safety, truth, and justice come first
Your Loved One Needed Protection — Not an Open Door.
When someone is struggling with addiction, mental health challenges, or emotional instability, they rely on treatment centers to provide structure and safety. Your loved one was vulnerable, and the facility was supposed to watch over them, especially during moments when they might flee, panic, or feel overwhelmed.
Instead, you learned they walked off the property, disappeared for hours or days, or were found harmed or deceased after leaving unsupervised.
These tragedies don’t “just happen.” They occur when facilities fail the patients who depend on them most. These failures create conditions where vulnerable patients walk into danger — sometimes with fatal consequences.
They missed signs your loved one was unsafe.
No urgent action was taken when it mattered.
High-risk patients were left unsupervised.
Your family wasn’t warned when danger arose.
Common failures that allow patients to leave treatment unsafely
Elopement isn’t simply a patient “choosing” to leave.
It happens when the systems meant to protect them fall apart —
when warning signs are missed, supervision breaks down, and no one acts when they’re in crisis.
→ Inadequate Supervision
Agitation, withdrawal symptoms, fear, depression, or prior elopement attempts go unrecognized or unaddressed.
→ “AMA” Used to Avoid Responsibility
Centers label elopements as “Against Medical Advice” to shift blame instead of acknowledging their own failures.
→ No Elopement Response Plan
Facilities lack written protocols, training, or staff coordination for emergencies involving missing patients.
→ Failure to Contact Authorities or Family
Delays of hours — or complete inaction — in calling 911, hospitals, or loved ones who could help.
→ Unsafe Discharge or Poor Judgment in Risk Assessment
Patients in psychiatric crisis, early withdrawal, or with no phone/money/transport are left unprotected.
We know treatment centers from the inside.
Elopement cases are complex — and require attorneys who understand addiction, treatment culture, and facility protocols.
Most families are told “There was nothing we could do,” but that is rarely true.
Susan’s nursing and trauma-informed background help us dissect policies, staffing logs, and medical records to reveal where supervision failed.
Ryan previously represented facilities and insurers, experience that now works for families. He understands:
• How facilities frame elopements
• How they bury documentation
• How they shift blame onto the patient
We Know Elopement Law & Precedent.
We recently secured a major ruling in a Florida elopement wrongful death case, affirming that juries, not facilities, decide whether the response was reasonable.
We Move Fast — Because Time Matters.
Records get misplaced, staff turnover erases accountability, and witnesses forget crucial details — so we act immediately to gather evidence and ensure your loved one’s story is not dismissed.
Your family deserves truth, accountability, and a path forward.
This isn’t just about what happened — it’s about preventing the next tragedy.
Prevent
treatment centers to improve safety protocols.
Provide
compensation for your family’s losses and pain.
Bring Truth
to light with long overdue answers.
Expose
the facility’s dangerous failures
If a facility failed to act when it mattered most, we’re here to uncover the truth.
We’re here to help you find answers. We’ll listen, investigate, and guide your family with compassion and clarity. If we move forward, you pay nothing unless we win.
Available 24/7 for grieving families.
Serving all of Florida from our Jupiter office.
Frequently asked questions
FAQ
Can we sue if our loved one left the facility and was harmed or died?
Yes. If supervision was inadequate or the facility failed to respond appropriately, they may be liable.
What’s the difference between leaving AMA and elopement?
AMA is a documented, informed decision. Elopement is leaving without safe discharge or supervision. Facilities often misuse “AMA” to avoid responsibility.
Are adults allowed to leave treatment?
Adults have rights, but facilities still have duties. They must assess risk, intervene when someone is unsafe, and respond immediately when they disappear.
How quickly should a facility react when someone goes missing?
For high-risk patients, action should be immediate — notifying law enforcement, staff, and family.
What if my loved one had a history of leaving treatment?
That increases the facility’s duty to supervise, not decreases it.
How long do we have to bring a case?
Generally two years in Florida, but acting early protects your case.