I’LL NEVER GO BACK TO WORK

Bashed guard who was determined to keep hospital staff safe now fears he can’t return

A SECURITY guard who had his jaw broken in an allegedly random attack outside a Far North hospital has spoken out, describing his fear and vowing not to return to work.

The 50-year-old, who asked not to be identified, has received more than 100 stitches and had at least two plates fitted into his jaw after he was allegedly struck in the face with a stick.

But he revealed that, as he fought to remain conscious, regain his vision and get to his feet, the only thing he could think about in the aftermath of the alleged attack was shutting the gate of the medical facility and getting back to protect the staff inside.

“I’m just glad that I was the one who wore it (rather) than them or I would have felt more guilty,” he said.

The alleged attack took place in the carpark of the Yarrabah Hospital on November 10.

A 20-year-old man appeared in the Cairns Magistrates Court over the alleged assault yesterday.

The guard, who has been in the job for a year, is currently unable to eat solid foods, using a paddle pop stick to scoop liquid into his mouth, is struggling to speak and is staying with a family member in Cairns for support.

“I can’t find the words to describe what I was feeling,” he said. “My vision was temporarily gone, I was fighting to stay conscious.

The guard said there had been no other major incidents in the 12 months he had worked at the hospital.

He said he did not want to go back and work at the hospital and questioned whether security staffing at the hospital had been adequate at the time.

“We (guards) talked amongst ourselves to say two guards were required, es- pecially to protect the nurses,” he said.

The hospital has since undergone a security overhaul in the wake of the alleged attack.

Three guards are now stationed at night with nursing staff on shifts rather than being on-call so they do not have to walk between the facility and accommodation at night

A 20-year-old man appeared in Cairns Magistrates Court over the alleged assault yesterday, while police confirmed a further six males, aged between 14 and 27, have been charged with other incidents related to the facility which have occurred in the past fortnight.

MY VISION WAS TEMPORARILY GONE, I WAS FIGHTING TO STAY CONSCIOUS.