“As you can imagine, this has caused significant disruption here at the hospital,” McLaughlin said. “The preliminary investigation indicates that this was not a deliberate act.”
Police are not investigating the crash as a crime, McLaughlin said, calling it a “very tragic situation.”
Two people in the vehicle were injured and also received medical treatment at a hospital, authorities said. The vehicle came to a stop between the entrance to the parking lot and the steps of Belkin House, a free-standing building that the hospital rents to a dialysis clinic.
Belkin House will be closed for the remainder of Thursday and Friday, MGB spokeswoman Kelly Mitchell said. Dialysis Clinic, Inc., which operates at the facility, is redirecting its patients to other locations, she added.
Police received a report of the crash at 10:46 a.m., McLaughlin said.
The Belkin House, which houses administrative offices as well as a dialysis center, was evacuated after the accident as a precaution while crews checked gas lines for damage. Thirty-two people, including patients and staff, were safely evacuated, hospital officials said.
The building was “gradually” reopening operations, McLaughlin said.
“Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital is deeply saddened by this tragic incident,” MGB spokeswoman Kelly Mitchell wrote in a statement, adding that hospital staff can receive support through an employee assistance program. “We extend our sincere condolences to the family of the deceased and those who were injured. Our thoughts also go out to all those who witnessed today’s events.”
Esmeralda Villar was leaving the hospital around 11 a.m. when she passed the aftermath of the accident.
She said she saw blood on the sidewalk outside the building. She said the driver appeared to be an elderly man and she feared he may have stepped on the accelerator by accident.
She was “very nervous” about seeing the blood and feared people could be seriously injured.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation, authorities said.
While the hospital was operating normally, patients were advised not to attend unless necessary, a spokesperson said.
Around noon, a dozen patients who said they were receiving treatment at the dialysis center were sitting on the lawn waiting to be taken home.
Mike Jones, who came to pick up his mother, said he received a call to pick her up halfway through her treatment.
“I just hope everyone is OK, that’s all I can say,” he said.
Her mother said she was not injured and did not witness the accident.
Warning tape surrounded the hospital lawn, where staff monitored patients being sent home. Firefighters were seen running a water hose up the hill to the hospital.
This is not the first time a car accident has occurred on the hospital campus.
In 2024, a nurse sleeping in her car while on duty suffered multiple fractures after accidentally stepping on the accelerator and driving off the top floor of the hospital parking lot.
This is a developing story.
John R. Ellement can be contacted at john.ellement@globe.com. Follow him @JREbosglobe. Bryan Hecht can be contacted at bryan.hecht@globe.com. Follow him on Instagram @bhechtjournalism. Sarah Rahal can be contacted at sarah.rahal@globe.com. Follow her on @SarahRahal_ or Instagram @sarah.rahal.
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