Machete attack, dislocated jaw: Nurses detail violent incidents at Fraser Health hospital

Two nurses are speaking out about violent incidents they experienced while working in the emergency department at Eagle Ridge Hospital (ERH) in Port Moody, B.C. — saying the Fraser Health Authority (FHA) has failed to provide a safe working environment, and has sought to silence employees who speak out.

Veteran nurse Arden Foley says she is not returning to work because of lingering post traumatic stress from an attack by a patient. Victoria Treacy, says she was suspended and placed under investigation by Fraser Health after she spoke out about a patient who threatened her colleagues with a machete.

The health authority said Treacy, who currently works at the hospital as a casual FHA employee, wasn't suspended or put under investigation.

However, the women's stories are two of many included in a lawsuit filed against the health authority in the B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver on June 6.

WATCH | Fraser Health nurses speak out:

Two emergency nurses, whose stories are featured in an ER doctor’s lawsuit against the Fraser Health Authority, are speaking out about the violence and safety concerns experienced by hospital employees, which they say include a broken jaw and machete attacks.

In the lawsuit, emergency physician Kaitlin Stockton alleges that her job was threatened by the authority after she tried to warn patients about lengthy delays in the ER.

It also alleges that deteriorating work conditions in emergency rooms have led to preventable deaths, and describes a slew of violent incidents against employees.

In one instance, a nurse was allegedly strangled by a patient, and after eight weeks off work, suffered four broken ribs from a separate attack. In another, a physician allegedly suffered injuries after being attacked by a pit bull in the ER.

"These events are so common that they are normalized and are rarely if ever acknowledged by FHA management and leadership," the lawsuit alleges.

Fraser Health told CBC News it does not comment on matters that are before the courts.

When CBC News asked about violent incidents, the authority responded with a statement.

"We are deeply concerned about the violent incidents that occurred at Eagle Ridge Hospital in November 2024 and January 2025 and the impact it had on staff and medical staff," the authority said in the statement.

"In March 2025, we increased security staffing in the Emergency Department at Eagle Ridge Hospital in direct response to recent violent incidents. We also strengthened training for site security and increased on-the-floor coaching to ensure staff are fully prepared to respond effectively."

Treacy, 37, was working a night shift in ERH's emergency department in January 2025 when a man threatened staff by yelling and wielding a large machete. Treacy said she called security and assisted her colleagues in evacuating patients from the area.

She then spoke to several media outlets, saying the incident led her to fear for her own safety and that of her colleagues and patients. She said the same standard of security should be in place at ERH as there is at larger hospitals in the region.

A few days later, Treacy says she was contacted by the travel nurse agency that contracts her to Fraser Health.

According to the lawsuit, she was told the health authority was asking her not to come in for her next scheduled shift because she was being placed under investigation.

The lawsuit states "after FHA failed to take action or implement changes following the January 14th, 2025 machete incident, the nurse who had been threatened by the patient went public to advocate for better security measures at ERH. In response, FHA initiated an investigation into the nurse and suspended her during the process."

In a statement, Fraser Health said it "did not suspend the agency nurse involved, nor did we initiate an investigation into their conduct."

"We recognize that this was a traumatic and distressing event for everyone involved and understand that health-care workers often face highly challenging situations."

But Treacy said in an interview with CBC, that her understanding was that she was being fired.

"I [spent] an entire weekend thinking my job and my career were jeopardized," she said.

"To speak out about safety and my personal experience and to be told not to go back to work was extremely devastating and extremely worrying."

Treacy said because she was a travel nurse under contract at the time, she never signed documentation preventing her from speaking to journalists.

"My main message with those interviews was to ask for help and say these are the things that are actually happening," she said.

"I just never thought that asking for help and asking for safety in our workplace would potentially impact me."

The incident is listed in the lawsuit against Fraser Health as one example of "a psychologically unsafe and toxic workplace, where staff fear speaking out or advocating for themselves and patients due to a culture of retaliation against those who do."

Foley has worked as a nurse for 46 years, in a career that took her from the operating room to the emergency ward.

Foley said she is speaking out now because she no longer works at the health authority.

She said that on Nov. 20, 2024, she was on shift at ERH when she was badly injured by a patient who had suffered an overdose.

Foley said she was in the process of unhooking them from a machine in order to discharge them, when they suddenly and violently kicked her in the head. The force of the kick allegedly slammed her against a wall.

According to the lawsuit "the assault left the nurse with a jaw dislocation, a concussion, and PTSD. This nurse has not been able to return to work."

Foley filed a claim with WorkSafeBC and pressed charges against the patient.

"It took me weeks just to not think of him and the incident. I felt very angry at the time. I didn't feel that I had done anything wrong and yet I was still blaming myself, thinking maybe I could have done things different," she said.

"I've never experienced an assault or violence or aggression as I did that day."

In a statement, the health authority said "a Fraser Health manager reached out to the nurse on November 21 to offer their support and communicate the supports and resources that are available through Fraser Health for employees who have experienced violence in the workplace."

Foley accessed counselling to help with the symptoms of her post-traumatic stress, but ultimately decided not to return to nursing after speaking with her colleagues.

"Everyone I talked to there was telling me how the situation had deteriorated — the working conditions, the increased workload, and instances of aggressive, abusive behaviour toward our staff and other patients," she said.

"Losing my identity as a nurse was what this incident has cost me — I lost my identity with my career, and now it's over."

The B.C. Nurses' Union (BCNU) said the number of violent incidents that force their members to take time off work has been on the rise. According to the union's website, they represent about 50,000 nurses.

BCNU said the number of claims for nursing staff — including licensed practical nurses, registered nurses, registered psychiatric nurses and nursing coordinators and supervisors — climbed 48 per cent from about 29 a month in 2016 to about 43 a month in 2024.

"None of us were ever expecting that this type of violence would occur in our careers. It has escalated dramatically even since I became a nurse and unfortunately we do need better safety measures," Treacy said.

"It is not a world I want to live in, but unfortunately, these are the things we are being faced with."