Medical buildings can be vulnerable to any number of disruptive accidents that might cause harm to patients or prevent the delivery of care, including motor vehicle incidents. For example, 1 person died and 5 others were injured after a vehicle crashed into the emergency department at the St. David’s North Austin Medical Center in Austin, Texas, last week, according to news reports. In the St. David’s case, 3 team members received minor injuries from the incident.
What to do about the rare risk of a crash: While any shutdown could be a concern, a crash that injures patients or staff members within a clinic also carries legal risk if anyone claims their injury was caused by some type of unsafe or defective condition on the property at the time of the crash. “Whether it’s ugly cement barricades or more aesthetic landscaping rocks, it’s necessary to physically protect the center,” says Alan Ayers, MBA, MAcc, president of Experity Consulting and Senior Editor of JUCM. Learn more about your liability when it comes to vehicles crashing into your urgent care center from the JUCM archive: Urgent Care Operator’s Liability For A Car Crash Into The Center