1 Dead, 5 Hurt After Car Crashes Into Hospital

(StraightNews.org) – One person died, and five were injured when a car crashed into a hospital in Austin, Texas. A Sedan slammed into St. David’s North Austin Medical Center on February 13, coming to a halt in the lobby of the facility’s emergency room. The fire department removed the driver from the vehicle and applied CPR and other life-saving measures, but she was pronounced dead at the scene. At a press conference, Austin Fire Chief Thayer Smith said initial indications suggest that the collision was not deliberate.

Two adults and two children were injured in the incident and were transported to separate hospitals, while another was treated at St. David’s. Doctors transferred one of the children to Dell Children’s Hospital with life-threatening injuries, and an adult was sent to Round Rock Medical Center, also critically injured.

The driver was later identified as 57-year-old Michelle Holloway, and police say there were no indications that she was suffering a medical emergency. Officers did not state how fast the car was traveling or offer any reasons for the incident, but said investigations were ongoing.

Witnesses describe the scene as chaotic, and hospital officials said staff members risked their lives to try to stop the vehicle and save the driver. St. David’s North Austin Medical Center Chief Medical Officer Peter DeYoung said the car struck a “very large aquarium” in the lobby, which likely absorbed much of the impact. Otherwise, damage to the building was minimal, Mr. DeYoung stated.

Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services designated the incident as a Level 4 mass casualty, and a hazard materials team attended the scene. Austin police said they also assigned vehicular homicide detectives to the case. St. David’s is one of 16 hospitals serving the wider Austina area, and following a brief shutdown, it was back to normal operations within two days.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott released a statement saying he had spoken to Austin Mayor Kirk Watson and offered him Texas’ full support.