TAMPA, Fla. – On October 6, 2020, Valerie Brown of Brooksville, Florida, arrived at Tampa General Hospital to visit her ailing father. Within minutes, hospital staff arrived and placed a young man named Kyle in the room’s vacant bed.
According to Brown’s lawsuit against Florida Health Sciences Center, which owns Tampa General, she immediately became afraid, as Kyle eyes were “wild and vacant.” Apparently, it didn’t take any time from the moment of his arrival for Kyle to exhibit psychotic behavior.
Kyle allegedly declared to a hospital staffer, “I am an emperor!” He seemed to not understand where he was or why he was there. Jumping on the bed, setting off alarms and flashing the room lights, Kyle at one point screamed to staff members there were dragons in the room and insisted they come and see.
He also ignored staffers’ instructions that he stay on his side of the room.
Brown was upset and on more than one occasion asked hospital staff to remove Kyle. They refused.
Thereafter, Kyle is claimed to have seized a metal walker and clobbered Brown on the head with it. Despite there was clearly a behavioral issue with Kyle, the hospital allegedly did not provide security for the room, which could have prevented Brown’s injuries.
The Free Press reached out to Valerie Brown and asked pertinent questions, but she replied, “No comment,” as did her attorney, James W. Holliday of Holliday, Karatinos Law Firm.
Several questions were asked of Tampa General Hospital but they did not comment. The lawsuit presents one count against the hospital for “Ordinary Negligence.”