(USNewsBreak.com) – A vehicle crashed into an Austin, Texas hospital emergency room just after 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 13. Doctors quickly began assessing the situation and providing help where needed. In the aftermath, at least one person died and another five received injuries. Initial reports put the number of people injured at 10, but this figure was later amended to five.
Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services kept the public apprised of the situation in a Facebook post. As a result of the crash at St. David’s North Austin Medical Center, first responders transported four patients to separate hospitals in the area. Doctors treated one onsite. Those transferred included two children and one adult to Dell Children’s. One of the pediatric patients suffered “critical injuries,” while the other two had “non-life-threatening injuries.” Emergency technicians transported another adult to St. David’s Round Rock, where the medical staff reported the patient had “serious potentially life-threatening injuries.”
An ambulance bus met patients arriving at the hospital for care to transport them to different area hospitals to alleviate the strain on St. David’s North Austin. The facility shut down new patients arriving by ambulance but took those who came in on foot. The accident only affected the emergency department. The rest of the hospital was operating normally.
Ten people, including at least two children, were injured when a car crashed into an Austin, Texas, hospital, authorities say. https://t.co/u8phigkcdX
— NBC News (@NBCNews) February 14, 2024
The chief medical officer, Dr. Peter DeYoung, spoke with media outlets, calling the situation a “tragedy.” He addressed the state of the building itself, saying the structure remained intact. The sedan struck an aquarium, likely mitigating the damages and the number of injuries.
According to a post on X, formerly Twitter, the Austin Police Department said the accident didn’t “appear to be an intentional act,” and there was no threat to the public. However, the police department reportedly assigned vehicular homicide detectives to investigate the incident. A hazmat team also responded to the scene, though it’s unclear whether the measure was a safety precaution or something more.
Police later identified the driver of the vehicle that crashed into the building as 57-year-old Michelle Holloway. She died as a result of the accident.
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