MIAMI (WSVN) - A South Florida woman shared her nursing nightmare after a brutal attack on the job led to her becoming a patient herself.
Yanira Eguileor, a registered nurse at Jackson Memorial Hospital, said she’s still recovering from her roughest day at work.
On May 30, Eguileor said, she was attacked by a patient within the hospital’s brand-new, $300 million-plus emergency room.
Photos show Eguileor’s enormous bruises on both her arms.
“He started punching me in the back of my head,” said Eguileor. “He punched me a total of three times.”
The patient allegedly went on a rampage and battered several medical employees, a police report states.
“He threw me to the ground, and I hit my head. Doctors and registration people and other co-workers were taking him off of me,” said Eguileor. “They took me to have CT scans of my brain, my neck, my spine, my arms.”
Yanira’s attorney, Michael Pizzi, said she’s suing Jackson Memorial Hospital, where she went from emergency room nurse to patient.
“We are suing Jackson Memorial Hospital and [Miami-Dade County] for $5 million,” said Pizzi. “Jackson Memorial Hospital did not provide any security whatsoever.”
“I didn’t see security anywhere,” said Eguileor.
Yanira said she loves her workplace, but it needs to do better at protecting staff.
A spokesperson for Jackson Memorial Hospital issued a statement on the matter that reads in part:
“At Jackson Health System, the safety and well-being of everyone who enters our facilities — patients, visitors, and employees — is the highest priority.
We are aware of this claim and will not comment on the specific allegations because of an ongoing investigation and imminent litigation.”
Rubin Wenyou, the alleged attacker and emergency patient who’d been Baker Acted due to mental health concerns, faces a felony battery charge.
Police told the victims an official will be in contact with them to discuss the case.
“‘The State Attorney’s Office is going to contact you.’ That was June 3. No one ever contacted me,” said Eguileor.
Eguileor said she then found out her case against Wenyou was dropped in early July.
“You blew it,” said Pizzi in a message to prosecutors who he said never interviewed the victims.
“Your job was to meet with the victim and talk to her,” said Pizzi. “You have no concern whatsoever about charging a criminal who goes to a hospital and punches and kicks and beats up nurses.”
The Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office responded to 7News’ inquiry, stating:
“All arrest forms contain contact information provided by the victims to the police. This information is the key starting point used by our office to evaluate the legal sufficiency of the arrest. In this instance, both victims provided the exact same phone number and address, which belongs to Jackson Memorial Hospital. After using this victim’s provided information and leaving messages for them, the State Attorney’s Office did not receive any response from the victims, which resulted in having to drop the case. However, since the case was dropped due to a lack of victim contact, the case can be reviewed for possible refiling upon the supplying of appropriate contact information, either by the victims or by the victims’ attorneys.”
Pizzi demands that the dismissal of the case be overridden and changed, and for Wenyou to be charged all over again.
Wenyou is also dealing with a pending 2024 case where he allegedly swung a metal pole at police and had to be shocked with a Taser and arrested for alleged battery on a law enforcement officer.
The statement from JMH goes on to say:
“Workplace violence in hospitals is a growing national crisis. Every day, physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals bravely care for patients during some of the most difficult moments of their lives, often under stressful and unpredictable circumstances. We remain steadfast in our commitment to protecting our team members who dedicate their lives to serving our community.
In addition to employing trained public safety personnel who work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, we have close partnerships with law enforcement to help prevent, respond to, and investigate incidents. We also continue to invest in workplace safety measures across our facilities, including within our emergency rooms.”
Friday morning, a JMH spokesperson issued an additional statement. It reads:
“We have four dedicated Jackson public safety specialists assigned to the Jackson Memorial emergency room 24 hours a day, seven days a week – including the date of this incident. In addition, we have two off-duty Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputies on campus at all times.”
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