A mental health clinic employee run over by a patient in Puyallup has sued MultiCare

An employee who was run over by a patient in the parking lot of a Puyallup mental health clinic has sued MultiCare, alleging staff had previously told the health system about safety issues at the facility.

Elaine Pelusi had been working as an office administrator for several years at MultiCare Behavioral Health, 325 E. Pioneer Ave., when she was run down in the parking lot.

Pelusi’s complaint, filed Aug. 17 in Pierce County Superior Court, seeks unspecified damages.

In a statement issued Thursday, MultiCare called the incident “an unforeseeable and tragic event that injured one of our valued employees and that affected us all.

“We have been supporting our employee throughout her recovery, and we will continue to work with her through the legal process. We firmly believe our policies and practices provide a safe environment for our employees, patients and visitors.”

Pelusi’s lawsuit gives this account of the Sept. 18, 2015 assault:

A little after 7 a.m. an employee noticed patient Autumn Cornyn playing loud music in a vehicle outside the clinic. As the employee walked to the building, Cornyn drove toward the worker, who “cut over into a planter strip” to avoid the car.

The vehicle turned around and headed for the employee again, who made it into the building before Cornyn got to her.

Then another employee arrived, and Cornyn drove at her vehicle head-on. The employee avoided a crash and waited in her vehicle for a minute until Cornyn drove away before getting out and walking into work.

Next, Pelusi arrived about 7:20 a.m.

Charging papers filed at the time say Cornyn made four laps around the parking lot, trying to hit Pelusi as she walked toward the clinic. Pelusi then jumped over a median, and Cornyn drove over it and hit Pelusi, sending her flying.

Cornyn circled around to run over Pelusi again, according to the lawsuit.

“As Ms. Pelusi, fearing for her life, attempted to get up and crawl away, Cornyn lost control of her car while speeding toward Ms. Pelusi, striking a light pole, which stopped her from running over Ms. Pelusi a second time,” the lawsuit reads.

Pelusi suffered multiple spinal fractures, spent weeks in the hospital and had six-figure medical bills, said Stephanie Bloomfield, an attorney representing her.

MultiCare should have known such an incident was possible, according to the lawsuit

MultiCare “was repeatedly notified of the danger posed by the clients and patients served, with hundreds of calls made to the Puyallup Police Department in the years leading up to this incident,” the lawsuit says.

It alleges criminal activity outside the clinic increased after a homeless shelter opened next door in 2014.

Before Pelusi was injured, people who work at the clinic sent an email to management.

In it, they cited “concerns about illegal activity and arrests in the morning in the parking lot, expressly noting staff safety concerns and a need for security in the parking lot in the morning hours. Patients or potential clients were arriving early (before 8 a.m.) and fighting over who would be first in line, drug deals were observed and staff felt threatened.”

MultiCare “did not implement reasonable security procedures, secure parking, proper training and did not provide adequate security on site,” the lawsuit alleges. “There was no secured staff parking area, no security cameras and no security patrols or presence in the morning as staff arrived for work.”

Puyallup police frequent the area surrounding the clinic because of activity at the homeless shelter, Captain Ryan Portmann said Thursday. Aside from an occasional trespass in the parking lot, Portmann said he hasn’t noticed any major problems recently related to patients outside the clinic.

Cornyn, 33, was charged with first-degree assault for attacking Pelusi and ultimately was found not guilty by reason of insanity and committed to Western State Hospital.

MultiCare should have known that Cornyn was a danger to herself and others, Pelusi argues, but did not warn staff that Cornyn was a potential threat.

The lawsuit says Cornyn was threatening and combative with clinic staff a couple weeks before she ran over Pelusi, and MultiCare denied her an appointment.

“Maybe I will get an appointment now,” the lawsuit alleges Cornyn said two weeks later, after she ran over Pelusi.

This story was originally published August 24, 2018 at 7:00 AM.