Regina General Hospital parking under fire after nurse assaulted

Finding parking at or near Regina's General Hospital has long been a problem for anyone visiting a family member or friend. But now, concerns about danger are overshadowing the hunt to find a good parking spot.

Police are investigating the assault and robbery of a nurse on Wednesday night in the Regina General Hospital area.

Jennifer LeGard was walking to her car after a late shift at the Hospital. LeGard walked through the well-lit parking lot towards her car a few blocks further on Halifax Street. Before she reached her vehicle, LeGard was met by a stranger asking for directions. 

I thought, 'This is my only shot.' So I laid on my horn and just started screaming.- Jennifer LeGard

"He started to come closer to me, closer to me, kind of touching my arm and like, 'Just wait. Just wait. Can you drive me there?' " LeGard said. "At this point, I looked at him and said, 'No, I got a little boy to get home to.' You know, my baby's at home, I got to go home."

The man persisted and grabbed the handle of LeGard's car and wouldn't move.

"Finally, at this point, I'm yelling at him like, 'Get away from me. Get the hell away from me,' " she said. "Then at the corner of my peripheral eye I could see a vehicle coming down Halifax and I thought, 'This is my only shot.' So I laid on my horn and just started screaming. And as soon as I started screaming, he started punching."

The passerby spotted LeGard and scared the man away, making off with LeGard's purse. 

Danger near General Hospital is nothing new

Events like this have happened before. LeGard said many nurses are afraid of walking to their cars in the dark, including her colleague, Alexandra Gross.

"Personally, I've had two experiences where I've felt very unsafe walking to my car," Gross said.

Both women said the problem is parking. The lot is packed, street parking is only two hours, which is not a lot of help when you're pulling a 12-hour shift. Hospital staff are then forced to park on the dark side streets.

"It's not safe," LeGard said. "It's not enough what we have now." 

The Health Region said they make every effort to keep their staff safe coming to and from the hospital, including shuttle buses from two locations during peak times. Security escorts are also available when staff ask for it. 

More parking for the Regina's biggest hospital doesn't look likely. Officials said it could cost more than $30,000 per stall, money that they opt to spent on patient care.

Police continue to look for suspect

Police searched the area, but couldn't find the suspect.

Police are asking anyone with information to call the Regina Police Service at 777-6500 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.