An emergency room nurse from a UPMC hospital in Pennsylvania was flown to a Pittsburgh hospital over the weekend after police said he was violently attacked by a patient. 

According to a criminal complaint, Bradley Lloyd, 40, is facing numerous charges including aggravated assault, simple assault, and disorderly conduct after police said he attacked a hospital worker in the emergency room at UPMC Altoona hospital on Saturday.

Police said they were called to the hospital just before 10 a.m. on Saturday because of a violent patient, later identified as Lloyd.

When police arrived at the hospital, they found emergency room nurse Travis Dunn lying on the floor and unconscious after being hit in the head and face by Lloyd.

Police said Lloyd was trying to escape the hospital and surrendered to officers after a taser was aimed at him. 

Police said that Dunn was flown to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh and had multiple injuries, including a cracked skull, a brain bleed, and a broken tooth, among others.

Workers call for more safety measures 

Dunn's coworkers say he's become the face of a fight for safety. 

"We've been saying for a long time, you know, if things don't change here, somebody's going to get seriously hurt, and that has happened now," said Jaime Balsamo, a registered nurse at UPMC Altoona.

Balsamo said there's a lot of anger from workers after the attack. 

"We've been calling on UPMC for a very long time and calling on legislators for a very long time to take the necessary steps to help prevent workplace violence and these types of injuries," Balsamo said. 

"What safety measure would you like to see implemented?" KDKA-TV's Mamie Bah asked.

"Calling for them to adopt a zero-tolerance policy against workplace violence and we're requesting that they put signs up saying that they have a zero-tolerance policy for that and assault on a health care worker is a felony offense," Balsamo answered.

SEIU Pennsylvania and AFSCME Local 691 have other demands, including panic alarms installed in every patient care area, metal detectors installed at all patient and visitor entry points, enhanced security presence and faster response times in high-risk areas during off-peak hours and mandatory de-escalation and workplace safety training for all staff, with regular refreshers.

In a statement, UPMC said, "We remain committed to working toward addressing violence against our workforce and helping to create a safe environment in which to work and for our patients to heal."

"What do you say to people who make the argument that the hospital cannot control patients' behavior?" asked Bah.

"They're right. We cannot control that, and young, small, tiny nurses don't need to be in danger either. We could put these other things in place to help prevent the violence," Balsamo answered. 

According to court records, Lloyd, who was wanted out of Missouri on a probation violation, was denied bail and is being held in the Blair County Prison.

Lloyd is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on November 12.