I don’t think she fell. She coughed.
When one is discussing older people, like RBG, a fall is often a symptom of a much more serious condition that caused the fall. Indeed, as I know from personal experience with my late parents, a nursing home will often call a resident’s next of kin and start the bad news by saying, “Your mother just had a fall.” Then they’ll give the really bad news that the fall was caused by a stroke. Also, with a person the age of RBG, a series of falls often signals upcoming serious trouble, as happened with my late parents. Extreme old age is a real devil of a thing.