A disturbing incident inside a Florida hospital is raising serious questions about the safety of healthcare workers after surveillance footage captured a patient attacking emergency room employees — including a nurse who says she was trying to protect her colleague.
The nurse, Yanira Eguileor, is now seeking $5 million in damages from Jackson Memorial Hospital and the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, alleging failures in workplace security following the May 30, 2026 incident.
According to reports, the incident happened inside the emergency department at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, where 44-year-old Wenyou Rubin allegedly attacked hospital employees.
Surveillance footage obtained by local news outlets reportedly shows Rubin assaulting patient finance staffer Tisa Wolf before turning his attention toward Eguileor.
The nurse said she intervened after hearing a coworker scream and seeing Rubin move toward her.
Eguileor recalled that she approached the situation because she believed the employee was about to be struck.
Instead, she became the next target.
According to her account, Rubin punched her repeatedly in the head and threw her to the floor. She said she covered her face with her hands as the attack continued.
“I heard a loud scream from one of the staff members, a female,” Eguileor recalled in an interview with WSVN.
She said she turned around and saw Rubin moving toward the nurse’s station. When she tried to stop him from striking her coworker, he allegedly turned around and punched her.
Nurse reportedly suffered multiple injuries
The attack left Eguileor injured, and she was subsequently treated by fellow hospital workers.
According to her attorney, Michael Pizzi, the nurse suffered significant injuries during the incident.
Pizzi has described the surveillance footage as disturbing and argued that hospital employees were left vulnerable during the confrontation.
The attorney alleges that security personnel failed to intervene in time to prevent the attack.
However, Jackson Memorial Hospital has disputed aspects of the allegations, saying public safety officers responded shortly after the incident and that affected employees were offered immediate care.
The hospital also says it maintains security personnel on campus around the clock and requires emergency room staff to complete workplace violence prevention and personal safety training.
Nurse files $5 million lawsuit
Eguileor has filed a $5 million negligence lawsuit involving Jackson Memorial Hospital and the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.
Her legal team claims the institutions failed to provide adequate protection for employees working in the emergency department.
Pizzi also said he had to pursue additional legal action to obtain the surveillance footage, which was eventually turned over following a judge’s order.
The footage has since become a central part of the public discussion surrounding the case.
Attorney alleges hospital retaliated against nurse
The situation has become even more complicated following allegations that Eguileor faced unfair treatment at work after speaking publicly about the attack.
On September 16, her attorney announced the filing of a whistleblower notice, claiming the hospital retaliated against his client.
Pizzi alleged that Eguileor was transferred out of the trauma unit and subjected to repeated meetings with human resources.
Jackson Memorial Hospital has pushed back against the retaliation allegations.
The hospital stated that it later discovered Eguileor had allegedly accessed and acquired patients’ protected health information without authorization, describing the alleged conduct as an intentional breach for personal gain.
The hospital also cited other alleged policy violations.
Eguileor’s attorney disputes the hospital’s handling of the situation and has characterized the actions as retaliation. The competing allegations have not been resolved in court.
Suspect faces criminal charges
Rubin was arrested following the incident and faces criminal charges connected to the alleged attack on emergency medical care providers.
Local reporting also indicates that he has had other criminal cases pending in Miami-Dade County.
The criminal proceedings and the nurse’s civil lawsuit are separate matters.
As the legal process continues, the case is drawing attention to the risks healthcare workers can face while treating patients and the questions surrounding security inside hospital emergency departments.
The lawsuit seeks damages over the alleged failures in protecting staff, while the hospital maintains that security personnel and workplace violence training are in place.
The case remains ongoing, and the allegations made by both sides have yet to be fully resolved.
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