Decatur VA Nurse’s Brutal Beating by Patient Highlights Dangers Decatur Healthcare Workers Face on the Job, Rights and Options under Workers’ Compensation Laws
The brutal beating of a Decatur, Georgia, VA nurse earlier this summer highlights the serious risks that Decatur nurses and healthcare workers face on the job every day, and raises the conversation about where Decatur workers can turn if they are injured on the job and need assistance obtaining Georgia workers’ compensation benefits. According to local news reports, Atlanta VA nurse Latisha Shannon was brutally beaten by a patient this July, which left her with serious physical and mental injuries.
Ms. Shannon had been a nurse for 25 years before she started working for the Atlanta VA earlier this year. She was only a few months on the job at the Atlanta VA hospital when a patient aggressively and violently attacked her on July 23. Ms. Shannon had been working as an assistant manager on the psychiatric floor of the VA hospital when the vicious attack occurred. Ms. Shannon recounted the attack, stating, “He pulled me down to the ground and he started dragging me. As he’s dragging me [sic] he’s punching me in my face, in my head, over and over and over again. And I’m just screaming, please get him, help me, help me…I’m just thinking in my mind I’m never going to see my kids again. I don’t want to die like this.” Witnesses who were present when the brutal attack occurred attempted to help Ms. Shannon, and, after several staff members intervened, she was freed from her assailant. The patient was so aggressive that they were detained by Ms. Shannon’s coworkers. Ms. Shannon ultimately suffered injuries to her jaw, face, neck, and shoulder, and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the vicious workplace attack. “I get up every day and it’s like I’m just existing, I’m not living…I know that I probably will get better in time, but I’m never going to be the same.”
Injured Decatur Nurses and Healthcare Workers May be Entitled to Georgia Workers’ Compensation Benefits
There is no doubt that it is distressing to face the reality that Decatur nurses and healthcare workers – the brave men and women who work tirelessly to help and save Decatur’s injured and sick – are harmed all-too often by aggressive and out-of-control patients. When a nurse or healthcare professional is seriously injured on the job by a patient, or in another work-related accident, they may be entitled to important workers’ compensation benefits to help them get back on their feet and back to their regular work. Accordingly, if you were seriously injured on the job in Decatur and you are seeking compensation for your injuries, it is best to speak with an experienced Decatur workers’ compensation lawyer as soon as possible.
The experienced Decatur workers’ compensation lawyers at the O’Connell Law Firm are here to help injured Decatur workers get workers’ compensation benefits due to them under Georgia laws. Call the experienced Decatur workers’ compensation lawyers at the O’Connell Law Firm and speak to a lawyer about your case now.
Source:
11alive.com/article/news/special-reports/11alive-exclusives/atlanta-va-nurse-attacked-on-job/85-525ea438-4d20-43fe-8dec-b67b86eaabf2
