Austin City Council unanimously approved a resolution to require safety barriers in front of hospitals following a fatal vehicle collision in February.

The two-minute impact

On Feb. 13, around 5:35 p.m., a car drove into the lobby of St. David's North Austin Medical Center, killing the driver and leaving five bystanders injured.

Since then, crash victims Nadia and Levi Bernard filed a $1 million lawsuit against the facility, alleging gross negligence for a lack of vertical safety barriers to prevent collisions.

A KXAN investigation found more than 300 vehicle-into-building crashes have occurred at hospitals across the country over the past decade, prompting the city's resolution, according to a release.

The measure requires newly-built medical facilities to install bollard posts in front of pedestrian entrances and directs the city manager to explore how to incentivize existing hospitals to do the same.

Quote of note

“Hundreds of preventable and tragic incidents like this have happened across the country in the past decade, and certainly many more before that,” Council Member Mackenzie Kelly said in a statement. “Given the unique circumstances of emergency centers, from people rushing for help or impaired by prescribed or illicit drugs, these kinds of measures are common sense.”

What's next

Per the resolution, the city will propose a code amendment in October.

In a statement to Community Impact, St. David's Healthcare said the company plans to "work with policymakers to ensure compliance with any new legal or regulatory requirements, if they are passed.”

Since the fatal crash, St. David's North Medical Center has installed steel bollards at its pedestrian entrance, according to case documents.

On July 12, Congressman Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, requested a federal review of government facilities in the Austin-area to determine if safety barriers are necessary.

Zooming out

Awareness of vehicle-into-building crashes has sparked a wave of reform throughout the country, according to research from the Storefront Safety Council.

California, Alabama, and Florida are among the states where local lawmakers have passed similar ordinances requiring safety barrier installations on commercial properties.