Texas bill for hospital safety barriers clears critical vote

AUSTIN, Texas - A deadly crash into an Austin hospital in 2024 brought about action at the Texas Capitol.

Legislation was passed requiring the installation of safety barriers at the entrances to most hospitals in Texas. 

The backstory:

At the entrance of St. Davids North Medical Center security barriers known as bollards are in place. They were not there back in February 2024. 

A car smashed through the entrance, killing the driver and injuring several people at St. David's. 

The night of the incident, FOX 7 spoke to witnesses who saw the sedan break through the glass doors at high speed.

"It was such an intense experience, and it'll take a while to get the sounds of everyone's screams off my head," said Michelle Cruz when interviewed in 2024.

Barriers at hospital entrances

What they're saying:

On Tuesday in the Texas Senate, Dallas Democrat Royce West spoke about the Austin crash and others like it.

"There have been over 400 crashes into medical facilities within the last decade. And 22 of those have resulted in fatalities," said Senator West during the Floor Discussion.

SB 660 filed by West requires hospitals to install bollards or other similar safety barriers. They are to be located at emergency room entrances that are close to vehicle traffic.

"I was shocked that we didn't have [barriers] at hospitals. To the hospital's credit, some of them already have safety mechanisms in place," said Sen. West.

West put in an exemption to address cost concerns. The opt-out is for hospitals in rural counties with populations of less than 68,000 people, and for hospitals designated as critical Medicare Medicaid access facilities.

West said the barriers should be a consideration, beyond hospitals.

"I think it is a wake-up call to make certain that all the businesses that we have, that they kind of look at the safety of the security of their particular buildings. And if you have some areas that are unsafe, where we have a lot of customers and patients come in, that you need to kind of look at it to make sure that those people are secure," said Sen. West.

What's next:

Back in June, the Austin City Council passed a hospital safety barrier ordinance. It requires crash-tested bollards at all new hospitals that are built in Austin.

The bill passed its second reading vote 21 to 9. If the legislation clears the House, and is later signed by the Governor, hospitals without the safety systems need to have them in place by January 2026.