Nurses Show Support for Injured Colleague

On February 23, 2025, hundreds of Palm Beach County healthcare workers and well-wishers gathered to express support for a nurse who’d been brutally attacked by a patient the previous week.

The gathering was filled with song and emotion as participants shared in a collective spirit of support.

“We’re here to offer our support so (the injured nurse) can heal, as well as her family and our nursing community,” Bonnet Webb, a nurse who attended the event, said.

Hundreds of people came together in Palm Beach County to rally for the injured nurse, who the sheriff’s office said was brutally beaten by a patient at HCA Florida Palms West Hospital last Tuesday.

Investigators said the brutal attack caused severe injuries, shattering nearly every bone in the nurse’s face. In response to this tragic news, Sunday’s rally was organized within a matter of days.

The suspect in the attack, a 33-year-old Wellington man, faces charges of attempted second-degree murder, with a hate crime enhancement.

Safe Workplace Environments

The Florida workers’ compensation law includes more than a system of no-fault benefits for victims with job-related occupational diseases and/or trauma injuries. The law also includes threefold safety responsibilities that apply to all Florida employers.

Initially, employers must establish and maintain a safe environment. This responsibility usually involves providing proper safety equipment. For example, healthcare workers who are near infectious disease patients usually need full PPE (personal protective equipment). This responsibility also includes a duty to provide adequate security.

Additionally, employers must train employees in the use of this safety equipment or other safety mechanism. For example, construction site supervisors must show workers how to put on safety harnesses and how much weight a rail can hold. If the issue is live security, employers must show employees how to use the system and summon help.

Many employers assume employees already know these things, so they don’t take the time to train them. But under the law, they can assume nothing.

Alternatively, many employers only give these instructions in English. But students at Hillsborough County schools speak some 200 languages other than English. Therefore, a significant number of workers are LEP (limited English proficiency) workers. If the employer provides a translator, important details are often lost in translation.

Finally, employers must stress the importance of wearing the safety equipment or using the system. Frequently, employers do the opposite. They downplay the need for security so they don’t have to spend as much money developing it.

Workers’ Compensation Benefits

Workplace assaults often cause trauma injuries, such as broken bones, and occupational diseases, such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. In both cases, workers’ compensation usually pays two key benefits:

• Lost Wage Replacement: Most injured victims receive two-thirds of their AWW (average weekly wage) for the duration of their temporary or permanent disabilities. A brief waiting period usually applies. Significantly, the AWW isn’t limited to prior wages. For example, if Sam’s workplace injury forces him to miss overtime opportunities, his lost wage replacement must reflect that loss.
• Medical Bill Payment: Workers’ compensation insurance companies must pay all reasonably necessary medical bills. They must also cover prescription drugs, medical devices, and other ancillary costs. This benefit usually lasts from emergency transportation to a hospital to the last day of physical therapy. Insurance companies often contest the “reasonably necessary” requirement to delay settlement.

Some injured workers can file civil injury claims and, if a Tampa workers’ compensation lawyer proves negligence, or a lack of care, receive additional compensation for emotional distress and other noneconomic losses.

Contact a Diligent Hillsborough County Lawyer 

Injury victims are entitled to important financial benefits. For a confidential consultation with an experienced workers’ compensation lawyer in Tampa, contact Kobal Law. The sooner you reach out to us, the sooner we start working for you.

Source:

wptv.com/news/palm-beach-county/region-c-palm-beach-county/health-care-workers-rally-to-support-nurse-injured-in-attack-at-hca-florida-palms-west-hospital