USDOT ‘willing to look at’ hospital barriers, official says

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The U.S. Department of Transportation is "willing to look at" a policy to require safety barriers at critical infrastructure sites, like hospitals -- more than two years after a KXAN investigation found hundreds of crashes involving various unprotected medical sites across the country over the past decade. "I think the Department of Transportation is willing to look at all possible solutions," DOT General Counsel, and Texas resident, Gregory Zerzan told KXAN on Thursday. "Our mission is to ensure safety, while also allowing innovation to flourish. So, we don't rule anything out. Our number one goal is keeping people safe." The remarks come more than two years after a drunk driver crashed into the unprotected emergency room entrance of St. David's North Austin Medical Center. The driver died in the crash, which seriously injured several others. The hospital was sued for "gross negligence" for not having safety barriers, called bollards, at the time of the crash. The hospital system settled out of court in December for an undisclosed amount. St. David’s previously told KXAN it couldn't comment on litigation but said, “the safety of our patients and their families, as well as our employees and visitors, is always our top priority.” Following the deadly incident, St. David's told KXAN it invested $500,000 to install additional bollards in front of its hospitals but did not say if they are crash-rated. Speaking at the opening of a new Hutto office for Meridian Rapid Defense Group, a mobile barrier manufacturer, Zerzan did not say if his federal agency would ultimately support such a measure, noting "in many was, it's good that we have local control." "Having said that," he said, "it is certainly important that all event planners are prepared for the unfortunate possibility that someone may take a car where it's not supposed to go." Meridian's portable steel barriers are used by the city of Austin and were deployed after a terrorist attack in New Orleans last year killed 14 people. In response to KXAN's investigations, the Austin City Council passed an ordinance in late 2024 requiring crash-rated bollards at new hospitals. During the last legislative session, state lawmakers debated a bill that would have expanded that safety step statewide. The measure was opposed by the Texas Hospital Association, which called it an "unfunded mandate." The THA raised concerns related to cost, autonomy and a belief a bollard requirement would unfairly target hospitals over other sites that could be vulnerable or prone to vehicle crashes.