Sam McLeod has spent years caring for new mothers and their infants in the postpartum unit at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. But since a violent Ohio State nurse workplace assault last fall, the passion that drove her career has been replaced by a pervasive, lingering fear.
Speaking publicly for the first time, McLeod describes a scene of chaos that escalated into a life-threatening struggle. She recalls walking into a “full-blown fist fight” between the parents of a newborn baby. In the midst of the violence, the father was holding both a toddler and a newborn.
“He was holding this baby around the chest, not supporting the head, the neck, anything like that,” McLeod said. “And the baby was being jostled around like a sack of potatoes.”
When McLeod attempted to de-escalate the situation, the man turned his aggression toward her. He grabbed her by the throat and began dragging her down the hallway. According to McLeod and an incident report, she was dragged approximately 20 yards and strangled with her own identification lanyard.
“I thought his plan was to kill me. He was that elevated. He was that escalated. He was that angry,” McLeod said. “Scared for my life does not even begin to explain the things that had gone through my head.”
A Moral Dilemma in the Hallway
For McLeod, the terror of the assault was compounded by a harrowing choice. As she was being dragged and strangled, she felt she could not fight back with full force because of the infant in the attacker’s arms.
“The hardest part of that was I had to decide whether I risked that baby’s life to protect my own,” she said. “And I couldn’t do anything to jeopardize the life of that baby.”
McLeod reports that help did not arrive immediately, leaving her in a vulnerable position for what she describes as a 10-minute window of danger. “I mean, he could have killed me multiple times in that 10-minute time span and there was no help,” she said.
Though she eventually broke free, the trauma has persisted. McLeod has not returned to work and says her life is “forever altered.” She is currently receiving approximately 60% of her pay through workers’ compensation and has faced difficulties securing hospital coverage for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment.
“I sense like I’m being penalized for doing something fine and protecting this child,” she said. “Taking care of people and little babies and tiny humans and new moms is such a passion for me, and that has been stolen right now.”
Institutional Safety vs. Individual Experience
The timing of McLeod’s account coincides with a biannual safety report released by the OSU Wexner Medical Center. The report highlights a 25% decline in the rate of clinical support calls and incidents since 2021, attributing the progress to expanded de-escalation training and increased security screening.
However, the report’s own data reveals a troubling trend: the most severe incidents—including assaultive events and cases requiring staff to physically restrain aggressive patients—have actually increased in recent years.
McLeod views the hospital’s emphasis on de-escalation as a way to shift the burden of safety onto the staff rather than fixing systemic failures. “The whole de-escalation thing is just a cop out for them,” she said. “They seek to position it back on us.”
Elizabeth Seely, the hospital division’s chief administrative officer and co-chair of the Workplace Safety Steering Committee, defended the center’s progress in a statement. “These results show what is possible when we all share the responsibility of workplace safety and employ the tools available,” Seely said, adding that the medical center will continue to seek staff feedback.
McLeod argues that “sharing responsibility” is not enough. She is calling for mandatory security response times and tighter coordination with university police to ensure that nurses are not left alone during violent outbursts.
Timeline of Events and Legal Status
| Event/Metric | Detail |
|---|---|
| Incident Date | November 6, 2023 |
| Primary Charges | Strangulation and unlawful restraint |
| Hospital Claim | 25% decrease in support calls since 2021 |
| Defendant Status | Pleaded not guilty |
| Next Court Date | April 27 |
The Legal Battle
The man accused of the attack, 31-year-old Asiakare Minor of Reynoldsburg, has been charged with strangulation and unlawful restraint. Minor has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
For McLeod, the legal proceedings are only one part of a larger fight for the safety of her colleagues. She believes the incident is symptomatic of a broader issue of workplace violence in healthcare that often goes underreported.
“The rally they had last fall for me could have very easily been a vigil,” she said. “Here’s happening every day, not just at OSU. I want to make sure other nurses and staff are protected.”
This report involves discussions of workplace violence and mental health struggles. If you or a loved one are experiencing a crisis, help is available via the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988 in the US and Canada.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes and does not constitute legal or medical advice.
The next scheduled court appearance for Asiakare Minor is set for April 27, where further legal arguments regarding the charges of strangulation and unlawful restraint are expected.
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