EXCLUSIVE: Another attack at an HCA hospital as security guard assaulted at Vero Beach ER
By Terri Parker
Click here for updates on this story
VERO BEACH, Fla. (WPBF) — Another violent incident at an HCA Healthcare hospital — this time on the Treasure Coast.
Deputies say a man attempting to get admitted to the emergency room at HCA Florida Vero Beach Emergency attacked a security guard who refused to let him in with a backpack containing potential weapons.
Patient arrested after assaulting ER security guard James Michael Flynn is now in the Indian River County Jail, charged with battery on an officer. According to deputies, Flynn sought treatment for a sore leg at the Vero Beach ER on Monday. When the security guard — a former police officer — saw tools inside Flynn’s backpack that could be used as weapons, he denied entry.
Flynn became enraged, grabbed the guard by both arms and started yelling, authorities say. As the struggle escalated, the security guard was able to push Flynn outside, and he left the scene.
Employees at the standalone emergency room, many of them women, say they do not feel safe at work and want an armed sheriff’s deputy for security.
Growing security concerns at HCA hospitals This latest incident comes just weeks after a brutal attack at Palms West Hospital in Loxahatchee, another facility owned by HCA. Last month, a Baker Act patient, Stephen Eric Scantlebury, nearly killed nurse Leela Lal in a shocking assault that sparked national outrage over hospital safety.
Following public protests, HCA recently agreed to hire a sheriff’s deputy to guard Palms West Hospital. But when asked whether similar security measures would be taken for Vero Beach ER, an HCA spokesperson responded:
“HCA Florida Vero Beach Emergency has policies, processes, and protocols in place to maintain a safe environment. We are thankful that our security guard was not injured during the incident, and we are assisting local law enforcement with their investigation.”
An update on nurse Leela Lal Meanwhile, nurse Leela Lal continues her recovery after undergoing extensive surgery to repair multiple fractures in her face, skull, and clavicle.
She was recently moved from St. Mary’s intensive care unit in critical condition to a rehab facility in Jacksonville.
Her left eye is improving, but she still has no vision in her right eye. Due to facial reconstruction, her mouth is sewn shut, and she is being fed through a syringe.
Scantlebury remains in the Palm Beach County Jail, charged with attempted murder.
Questions remain over HCA’s handling of Baker Act patients Scantlebury had been admitted to Palms West as a Baker Act patient and remained there for two days before the attack — despite the hospital not being a designated Baker Act receiving facility.
This latest attack at Vero Beach ER raises further concerns about security protocols at HCA hospitals as staff continue to push for greater protections against violent incidents.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
