'Indians are bad': Florida patient attacks Indian-origin nurse, breaks almost every bone on her face

New Delhi: In a shocking incident, a 67-year-old Indian-origin nurse working at HCA Florida Palms West Hospital allegedly faced a near-death experience after being brutally attacked by a psychiatric patient a few days ago. The patient allegedly repeatedly punched her in the face with strong fists, breaking every facial bone in her face. The violent assault left her with severe facial fractures.  

The attack was so brutal that nurse Leelamma Lal is now facing the possibility of losing her eyesight in both eyes, as reported by HT. Although the exact reason for the patient's violent outburst remains unclear, Florida police received testimonies from the nurse stating that the patient hurled racist slurs at her because she was Indian. 

In her statement, she claimed that the patient hated Indian people, which allegedly led him to assault her repeatedly out of anger and resentment. The brutal attack left her with severe injuries, including swollen eyes, extensive swelling on the right side of her face, multiple facial fractures, and bleeding in the brain.

Also read- Nursing Officer assaulted after female staff alleges misconduct

The incident took place on February 19, when the psychiatric patient on a Baker Act hold, which means he was hospitalised involuntarily after a mental health crisis, was on a bed on the third floor of the hospital when he suddenly attacked Lal. HT reports that eyewitnesses said he jumped on the bed before attacking Lal, hitting her repeatedly with his fists.

Due to the brutal attack, almost every bone in her face was broken, and she had to be airlifted to the nearest trauma unit. Her daughter explained that her condition was so severe that he had to be incubated. "Her eyes were swollen, her whole face on the right side was swollen, multiple fractures throughout her face, bleeding in the brain," said her daughter. 

It is reported that after beating the nurse to death, the accused patient tried to flee away but only to be caught on the road. The 33-year-old patient was charged with attempted second-degree murder with a hate crime modifier and was arrested shortly. He is currently in jail, and the case was presented before the circuit court at the Palm Beach County Courthouse.

During the trial, Beth Newcomb, a sergeant with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, testified against the patient, revealing his racist rant. She informed the court that the patient had said, "Indians are bad. I just beat the s* out of an Indian doctor,"** before brutally attacking the nurse.

His wife told the court on Thursday that he had been acting paranoid for several days leading up to the attack.

Lal is currently in intensive care at St. Mary’s Medical Centre, with authorities warning that she may lose the use of both eyes due to the severity of her injuries. However, she is not alone in the fight as many people showed support for her. The supporters are also demanding strict action against the patient and implementation of stricter safety measures in hospitals.

Condemning the brutal attack on the nurse, the advisory board chair of Indian Nurses Association of South Florida, Dr Manju Samuel, said, "This is a wider issue affecting all medical staff. The issue here is the risk to our healthcare workers because there are no specific laws to protect the staff. There is a deficiency, and that must be addressed by lawmakers."

India Today reported that a petition was also filed for harsher penalties for those who assault healthcare workers. It has gathered over 9,500 signatures in just two days after it was called by the supporters.

Also read- Ragging at BRD Medical College! MBBS student allegedly Brutally assaulted over haircut demand by seniors