ASSAULT VICTIM SUES HOSPITAL FOR NEGLIGENCE
Elderly woman beaten by St. Paul’s psychiatric patient
A woman is alleging St. Paul’s Hospital was negligent for releasing a psychiatric patient who then assaulted her and two other women.
Elizabeth Rizos, who is in her 70s, says that two days after being released by the hospital, Nicholas Osuteye, 35, assaulted her as she was walking in the 700-block Pacific Boulevard in Vancouver.
“Ironically enough, she was coming out of physiotherapy treatment and the next thing that she was aware of was that she woke up weeks later in hospital after a lengthy coma,” Carey Veinotte, her lawyer, said Thursday. “Apparently, according to eyewitnesses, he whaled her on top of the head with a metal pipe.”
Rizos, who Veinotte described as a “tiny little Greek lady,” suffered multiple facial fractures that required surgical repair and has ongoing neurological trauma. “As she puts it, ‘I walk like a drunk person.’” said Veinotte. “There’s also memory impairment along with the physical stuff she’s trying to recover from.”
Osuteye also allegedly assaulted two other women in the same area.
“Apparently, he went on this West End rampage and badly attacked three women, but then was found by police in some sort of placid state down by B.C. Place,” said Veinotte.
Osuteye has been charged with attempted murder and assault causing bodily harm. He remains in custody.
In her lawsuit, Rizos alleges that on Dec. 5, 2012, Osuteye had requested help from police regarding problems with his medication. With the help of cops, Osuteye was then involuntarily admitted to St. Paul’s and treated by a triage nurse, an ER physician and a psychiatrist.
During and after his admittance, Osuteye warned hospital workers, identified only as John Doe No. 1, John Doe No. 2 and Jane Doe, he intended to commit violent acts, the writ says. The defendant, Providence Health Care, which operates the hospital, was allegedly negligent because it failed to ensure the protocols with respect to mentally disordered and violent patients were followed. The hospital discharged Osuteye when it knew or ought to have known that he was not rehabilitated and that he posed a “serious threat to public safety,” the lawsuit says.