Manhattan mom Hilda Polanco was molested by a marauding psych patient after checking into the Bronx hospital. Polanco’s pain didn’t end there. Hospital staffers and security downplayed the heinous crime. Polanco’s attacker got away with only a slap on the wrist — and his 38-year-old victim was forced to remain overnight in the same room where she was attacked, compounding her trauma. Click below to read the rest of the story.
“If someone goes to the hospital, they shouldn’t leave the hospital worse than they came in,†Polanco said in Spanish through a translator.
She now battles depression and sleeplessness.
“After that day, my life hasn’t been the same,†she said. “Who can give me back my life?â€
The shocking incident unfolded after Polanco, who suffers from chronic arthritis and severe allergies, arrived at the Lincoln Hospital emergency room on Feb. 7 with labored breathing.
Polanco was admitted and moved to a room on the hospital’s eighth floor about 6 a.m. Over the next few hours, she spotted hospital staffers leading a male patient back and forth past her room.
At one point, the man lunged toward her room but was restrained, Polanco said. Alarmed, Polanco asked a nurse who the pudgy man was.
“A person with mental problems,†the nurse responded, according to Polanco.
Polanco drifted off to sleep about 3 p.m. and awoke to a nightmare: The man was on top of her, grabbing at her breasts and other private parts.
“I took his hands off my body and I screamed,†said a crying Polanco, who lives in Washington Heights with her 12-year-old daughter. “He gave me a scary look and went running out of the room.â€
Polanco said it took a few minutes for nurses to respond to her screams. When they did finally show up, they were dismissive, she said.
“One of the nurses laughed and said, ‘All he wanted was to wake me up. All he wanted was to play,’ †said Polanco, who has filed a $20 million notice of claim with the city controller’s office.
Fearing a repeat attack, Polanco pleaded for a different room. Her request fell on deaf ears.
