14 February 2024 , 12:52
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Terrifying footage has captured the moment a car smashed through the wall of an emergency room, killing the driver and leaving five others injured, including a child with life-threatening injuries.
Police were called to St David's North Austin Medical Center in Austin, Texas, just after 5.30pm local time on Tuesday after the car crashed through the ER. Authorities confirmed that the driver, who was pulled from the wreck and given CPR, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Two children and an adult were transported to Dell Children's Medical Center, said Robert Luckritz, Austin-Travis County EMS Chief. One of the children is said to be in a critical condition with life-threatening injuries while the adult and second child's injuries were not life-threatening.
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Five people were injured and the drive declared dead at the scene (RawsAlerts)
Hospital staff sprang into action to help the driver (Stephen Hughes / SWNS)A second adult with potentially life-threatening injuries was taken to St David's Round Rock Medical Center. At a press conference on Tuesday night, Chief Medical Officer Dr Peter DeYoung said eight other people who had been in the ER but were not injured in the crash were taken to different local hospitals to allow the emergency room to "regroup".
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Horrific images shared on social media showed the car lodged in the wall of the hospital surrounded by piles of debris and dust. One video shared online showed a child being snatched out of the way as the car smashed through the building with a giant dustball seen spreading as the car made impact.
The car crashed through the entrance to the emergency room (Adam Davis/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)The Austin Police Department shared that the "incident does not appear to be an intentional act". They have launched an investigation to try and determine the cause of the crash and whether the driver died as a result of their injuries from the crash or something else.
Officials have said that despite some minor damage and a smashed aquarium that left water covering part of the floor, the building appears to be in good condition and there has been no impact to the hospital's operations beyond the ER. Dr DeYoung described how "amazing" the quick response was from first responders after the incident.
A tow truck drives off with the car that crashed in to the emergency room (Adam Davis/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)"To see I left the facility just 15 minutes before this occurred to then turn around and come back and see the response, to see the number of vehicles, to see things were already,e everyone has been cared for. And it's just, it was amazing. To have it under this circumstance, obviously, is tragic," he said.
Councilmember Leslie Pool who represents the district said in a statement: "I am grateful to our incredible first responders, who responded quickly, assisted hospital staff to secure the scene and redirect patients to other facilities. I am staying connected to our communications and emergency personnel as the situation evolves."
As a result of the crash, the hospital redirected ambulances to other nearby hospitals, though it was still accepting walk-in patients. Austin-Travis County EMS designated it a Level 4 mass casualty incident, meaning outside resources could be needed.