Patient Attacks Nurse in Florida ER, Footage Shows
Surveillance video captures an unprovoked assault in a Jackson Memorial Hospital emergency room, leaving the nurse with significant injuries.
Disturbing surveillance footage from a Florida hospital shows a patient launching a violent, unprovoked attack on an emergency room nurse. The assault, which occurred on May 30, left the nurse with head, neck, spinal, and back injuries.
The incident took place in Jackson Memorial Hospital's new $300 million emergency room. The patient, identified as Wenyou Rubin, 44, first struck a patient finance staffer before turning his attention to the nurse, Yanira Eguileor. Eguileor sustained multiple blows from Rubin, falling to the floor before he was eventually restrained.
Eguileor recounted that she intervened after hearing a scream and seeing Rubin pursuing another staff member. "He was about to strike her, and I said, 'No! Don't hit her.' He turned around, and he punched me," she told WSVN in July. She reported that the patient hit her with a closed fist. Her attorney, Michael Pizzi, expressed outrage over the incident, stating that the nurse, who has a career in trauma care, was left on the floor with no protection while the patient continued to disrupt the ward. "She could’ve been killed," Pizzi told CBS.
Rubin faces a charge of battery on an emergency medical care provider. According to Miami-Dade County inmate records, he is being held pending transfer to a psychiatric unit. Records also indicate a pending 2024 case where Rubin was charged with battery on a law enforcement officer.
A spokesperson for Jackson Memorial Hospital stated that the institution prioritizes the safety of its employees, patients, and visitors, maintaining a substantial security presence across the campus. The hospital also noted that all emergency room staff undergo workplace violence prevention and personal safety training, which includes de-escalation techniques and strategies for self-protection.
Following the attack, Eguileor filed a $5 million negligence lawsuit against the hospital. Pizzi has also lodged a whistleblower complaint, alleging retaliation against Eguileor by the hospital. She has reportedly been accused of accessing patient health information for personal gain, though police have not commented on the lawsuit.