Copyright Mechanicsburg Patriot News
By Megan Guza, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (TNS) An emergency room technician had to be flown to Pittsburgh for emergency surgery after police said he was attacked Saturday by a patient at UPMC Altoona. Bradley Scott Lloyd, of Tyrone, Blair County, faces more than a dozen charges in connection with Saturday’s alleged attack. UPMC police responded to the Altoona hospital’s emergency room about 10 a.m. for a report of a violent patient, according to WTAJ in Altoona. Officers said they found an ER patient care technician unconscious on the floor and Lloyd trying to flee the hospital. It wasn’t clear what sparked the attack, but authorities said the patient care tech had to be flown from UPMC Altoona to UPMC Presbyterian in Pittsburgh because of the extent of his injuries. Police accused Lloyd of hitting the man in the head and face multiple times, according to the Altoona Mirror. He was left with a fractured skull and brain bleed, the newspaper reported. WTAJ reported that Lloyd initially failed to comply with police commands but ultimately surrendered at Taser-point. He had to be sedated and restrained, according to the station. A UPMC spokesperson called the assault “a horrific attack” in a statement Monday. The spokesperson declined to comment on the tech’s condition but said “we are encouraged by the positive updates we’ve received and remain closely connected with them and their loved ones.” “We are incredibly grateful for the swift, courageous response of our UPMC Police and Emergency Department teams, whose actions prevented further harm and ensured our colleague received immediate care,” according to the statement. “We are grateful for their quick action and bravery.” The incident comes as health care unions and trade groups cite what they say is rising violence against health care workers. The American Nurses Association reports that 1 in 4 nurses face workplace violence — a rate higher than police and corrections officers. A 2023 report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that while health care workers represent 10% of the total workforce, they account for 48% of nonfatal injuries caused by workplace violence. “It’s not just the patients who may not be themselves because of their illness,” Butler Memorial ICU nurse Tammy May told the Post-Gazette earlier this year. “We just see visitors and families having a hard time coping when they’re dealing with their family members or loved ones’ most difficult times.” Her comments came in the aftermath of a fatal shooting at UPMC Memorial Hospital near York: A 49-year-old man walked into the hospital’s ICU in February and took a female staff member hostage at gunpoint. The ensuing shootout with police left the gunman and a West York police officer dead.
