A registered nurse who was attacked by a patient at Jackson Memorial Hospital has filed a $5 million lawsuit against the hospital and the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, according to her attorney, Michael Pizzi. The suit was filed Tuesday.
Yanira Eguileor says a patient hit her three times in May, and the third blow threw her to the floor. Surveillance video shows the alleged attacker, identified as Wenyou Rubin, walking through the hospital with no security nearby. Rubin had previously been Baker Acted for mental health concerns and faces a felony battery charge.
Pizzi argues that the sheriff’s office agreed to provide police officers for hospital security but did not train them properly for the job. He also said Jackson was aware for decades of the risk of violent attacks on nurses. Eguileor said she called security three times during the attack and no one came until a secretary pulled her away and doctors removed the patient.
Eguileor said she loves her job but wants more protection for health care workers. She said she hopes no one else has to go through what she did.
The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office and Jackson Health System said they would not comment on the ongoing litigation.
