Queen Elizabeth Hospital Investigates Altercation Involving Security Personnel and Disabled Visitor

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) has launched an investigation into an alleged altercation between a visitor and one of its security personnel Wednesday night.

Carl Hinds, who says he suffers from a pinched sciatic nerve, a twisted spine and a damaged hip which requires the use of a cane, is contemplating filing a lawsuit against the hospital.

The incident began as he attempted to park his car in one of the disabled parking zones.

“He [the officer] was parked, taking up both spots with an SUV, so I asked him: ‘Are you going to take up both disabled parking spaces?’ He looked at me, shrugged, then closed his car door, walked over to my vehicle and asked: ‘Are you here to see somebody, to pick up somebody’?”

Hinds said he was there with his wife to see his pregnant daughter and his wife had already gone inside.

“I told him I’m a disabled person and I have my disabled parking permit. He reached into my vehicle to take up my parking permit. I opened my door to take up my cane to show him that I walked with the assistance of a cane and my door touched him,” he said.

Hinds said this was when the incident became physical.

“The guy stepped back and said: ‘You hit me with your door?’ Then he slapped me in my face, dragged me out of my car and threw me across the road . . . . One of his colleagues ran out because they heard the commotion, saw me down on the ground and asked: ‘Boss man, what are you doing? This man is disabled’. He told the person I kicked open my door and hit him,” Hinds said.

He said he called the police but was dissatisfied with the initial response, so he called a senior officer who arranged for him to get a medical form to submit to police.

He denied assaulting the security guard with his car door.

Hinds told the Weekend Nation yesterday he spent the night at the Accident & Emergency Department in pain, and was waiting on the results of X-rays and computed tomography (CT) scans after being discharged yesterday afternoon.

“I came to see my daughter who was in labour, not to cause any trouble . . . . I didn’t tell this man to move, I didn’t cuss at him, I didn’t do nothing of the sort,” he said.

When contacted on Wednesday night, QEH communications consultant Shane Sealy arrived on the scene and spoke to Hinds. He said the hospital was conducting an internal probe and would be fully cooperating with the police investigation.

“The management team has learned about the unfortunate incident which would have allegedly taken place here at the hospital. The matter is now being investigated and pending the results of that investigation, the officer will be off duty until we can find out exactly what would have occurred.

“Our security team, that’s normally one of our strong points, they are the first point of contact for visitors, patients and anyone who traverses the hospital and we want that to remain. So we’ll await the results of the investigation, we’ll learn from this situation and we will move forward in a more positive manner,” he said.

Yesterday, the QEH released a media statement stressing it would carefully assess the findings of its internal investigation while cooperating with police.

President of the Barbados Council for the Disabled, Patricia Padmore-Blackman, said should Hinds’ account be truthful, a strong message needed to be sent that legislation was there to protect the rights of people with disabilities.