Viewer discretion advised: This article contains a photo of the nurse after the attack.
The daughter and son of Leelamma Lal, the HCA Florida Palms West nurse brutally attacked by a patient while on the job, are sharing their mother's story with WPTV now, nearly a week after the incident.
Cindy Joseph and Chris Lal sat down with WPTV's Kate Hussey and their attorney, Karen Terry, on Monday.
'Can't imagine my life without her': Daughter and son speak to WPTV about attack
"We still feel like it's unreal," said Joseph. "Like one week ago our lives were so normal, we were so happy, everything was perfect, and with this one phone call our lives turned upside down."
Joseph and Lal walked us through the day investigators told them a male patient, identified as Stephen Scantlebury, attacked Lal.
"I got a call from my mom's phone, but when I answered the phone call it was a man's voice, and I started freaking out because I knew something had happened," said Joseph.
According to a probable cause affidavit, that attack occurred at about 1:20 p.m. on Feb. 18, and that suspect was at the hospital under Florida's Baker Act, and being cared for by the nurse.
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"Essentially every bone in the victim's face is broken and the victim is likely to lose the use of both eyes," the affidavit says.
Lal was taken by helicopter to St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach.
"I was beside myself," said Joseph. "When I saw her it was a lot worse than I imagined. She had bruises in both eyes, her right eye was so swollen, she couldn't open it. She was unconscious, intubated and not responding."
Joseph said the first night of the attack, her mother was not in stable condition. She and Chris Lal feared they'd lose her.
"I was just really sad and really angry that this happened to her at work, where she should be safe, where she's given her life to this hospital for twenty plus years," said Joseph. "I expected them to take care of her, give her the correct protections she needed."
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As WPTV first reported following the attack, HCA Florida Palms West Hospital is not a Baker Act receiving facility, which requires different licensing from the state compared to medical hospitals.
According to Dr. Carol Milliken, president of the Florida Emergency Nurses Association, nurses in Baker Act-receiving facilities undergo hands-on training to manage psychiatric patient care, whereas nurses in other medical settings receive psychiatric care training online, as one part of a broader training module that covers multiple areas of care.
Lal and Joseph said they wonder why Scantelbury was brought to Palms West in the first place. They also say investigators told them there were no cameras in the hospital room either. They wonder why.
"I'm just so mad at the situation and saddened. My mom is everything to me, she is my biggest supporter and always there for me. I can't imagine my life without her, and this is not fair to her. She is 67 years old, she could have retired a long time ago but she chose to be a nurse and to keep caring for patients," said Joseph.
Scantlebury, 33, faces charges of attempted murder. On Thursday, the sheriff's office said he will also face a hate crime enhancement, which could result in harsher penalties if he is convicted.
Attorneys for the Rossen Law Firm, who are representing Scantlebury, released a statement Friday that said he had been "displaying unusual behavior" in the days leading up to the attack and had sought help at HCA Florida Palms West Hospital.
"Stephen is a hardworking, loving husband, father, and son. Mental illness does not discriminate, and we know that what happened was a product of a mental health crisis," read the statement.
Joseph said reading his attorney's statement felt like a gut punch.
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"She did nothing to deserve this. I can't imagine what this felt like for her, the shock, she couldn't even scream, the assailant punched her so quick, the pain she felt, the confusion. The trauma she's going to have from this for the rest of her life," Joseph said.
Joseph and Lal have hired attorney Karen Terry of law firm Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley in West Palm Beach.
No lawsuits have been filed yet, but Terry told WPTV she is looking at "all avenues of recovery."
"Miss Lal faces a very long recovery herself," said Terry. "Her bills are going to be astronomical, she likely has bleeding in her brain."
Terry said one of the "avenues of recovery" she is considering is negligence.
"Negligence, certainly, at the hospital, certainly a reckless disregard for the life, safety and well-being of their employees," said Terry.
In 2023, a woman was arrested after Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office deputies said she entered the NICU and took her then-3-day-old baby, then pulled out a knife and stabbed three staff members.
The woman, who deputies identified as Kendra Greene, faced four charges, including cruelty toward a child.
"Safety concerns certainly should have been of paramount importance to HCA and to Palms West Hospital, and obviously they aren't if they have inadequate security, if they have security at all," said Terry.
HCA Florida Healthcare released the following statement on the attack:
"Our primary concern is with our beloved colleague and we are praying for her recovery. We are also providing support to our hospital staff who are understandably shaken by this incident. The attack on our nursing colleague happened within a matter of seconds and was witnessed by multiple people who came to assist. We are grateful to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office who acted to detain the suspect and we are assisting law enforcement in their investigation."
Chris Lal and Joseph say they still feel angry, frustrated and fearful.
"It's all three, because we don't know if you know our mom is gonna make it, or anything like that," said Lal. "So, I mean, at the end of the day, everyone needs their mom, right? No matter how old you are."
"I'm angry. Angry at the assailant, angry at the hospital system, angry that this happened to her," added Joseph. "And I'm scared, you know? I mean, if he's released, I fear that, what if he comes after my mom? What if he comes after me for, like, for us, for pressing charges? These are fears we're gonna have to live with for the rest of our lives."
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
