Security guard Andrea Merrell dies after ER assault at M Health Fairview Lakes in Wyoming
Andrea Merrell, a security guard working in the emergency department at M Health Fairview Lakes Medical Center in Wyoming, Minn., died after sustaining injuries in a Christmas Day assault by an ER patient. Law enforcement has characterized the incident as a criminal assault in a hospital workplace, and a suspect is in custody.
📌 Key Facts
- Andrea Merrell, a hospital security guard, died of injuries sustained in an assault on Christmas Day at M Health Fairview Lakes Medical Center in Wyoming, Minnesota.
- The assault happened in the hospital emergency room while Merrell was on duty as a security guard.
- Law enforcement characterizes the incident as a criminal assault in a hospital workplace setting and frames Merrell's death as a workplace death tied to an ER patient assault.
- Authorities say a suspect is in custody in connection with the assault.
- Multiple local outlets (including Alphanews and TwinCities.com) reported updated confirmations of Merrell’s death and the hospital context.
📊 Relevant Data
In Minnesota, there were 630 documented instances of violence against healthcare workers between 2021 and 2022 that resulted in time away from work.
Minnesota Healthcare Workers Are Being Injured At A Record Rate — Hey Workers
Minnesota hospitals are facing workforce shortages that reduce access to patient care, caused by post-pandemic recovery, rising labor and supply costs, and high turnover rates due to burnout and low wages.
Workforce Shortages Reduce Access to Patient Care in Minnesota — Minnesota Hospital Association
Patients are the primary perpetrators of workplace violence against health care staff, with patient- or visitor-on-staff violence being the most commonly reported type in patient safety incidents from 2019 to 2023.
Health Care Staff–Reported Workplace Violence in Patient Safety Incidents — JAMA Network Open
In healthcare workplace violence cases, 68% of perpetrators are male and 52.7% are between the ages of 20 and 40.
Mapping the risks: Population demographics and healthcare workplace violence — Vizient Inc.
Health care workers in Minnesota are five times more likely to experience serious injury from workplace assaults compared to the overall U.S. workforce.
Burned out by workplace violence, nurses demand higher staffing from Minnesota hospitals — Minnesota Reformer
📰 Sources (3)
- Confirms that the assault occurred in the emergency room at M Health Fairview Lakes in Wyoming, Minn., while Merrell was working as a security guard.
- Reiterates that Merrell died of injuries sustained in the incident, framing it as a workplace death tied to an ER patient assault.
- Provides an updated confirmation of her death and hospital context from another metro outlet (TwinCities.com).
- Confirms the death was directly linked to injuries from the Christmas Day assault at M Health Fairview Lakes Medical Center.
- States explicitly that the suspect is in custody in connection with the assault.
- Reiterates law enforcement’s characterization of the incident as a criminal assault occurring in a hospital workplace setting.