The car plunged over the edge of the parking garage on May 17, according to a police report.
A Boston nurse was injured after accidentally driving off the top floor of a parking garage earlier this month.
It was around 1:30 a.m. on May 17 when authorities responded to the incident at Faulkner Hospital in Jamaica Plain, according to a police report from the Boston Police Department.
Responding officers found a “heavily damaged” 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee next to the garage, as well as a piece of railing that appeared to match the railing on the garage’s roof.
Boston fire officials reportedly informed police that a vehicle had plunged off the top of the parking garage, though it was unclear how.
The woman involved in the crash sustained a “broken arm and back” as well as leg injuries, according to the crash report.
Massachusetts Nurses Association spokesperson Joe Markman told PEOPLE the woman behind the wheel, who has not been publicly identified, is a nurse and a member of the Faulkner Hospital MNA bargaining unit.
Markman added that they have reached out to her but do not have any additional information to share at this time.
The nurse, who had already finished her regular shift and was on call beginning at 11 p.m., told police she decided to sleep in her vehicle instead of going home, according to the report.
When she woke up after 1:00 a.m. due to the overhead lights, she mistakenly pressed the gas pedal instead of the brake. As a result, her car started to “teeter,” and despite her attempts to put the car in reverse, she was unable to do so and ended up falling off the top floor of the garage.
An investigation into the incident is currently ongoing, as confirmed by a spokesperson from Mass General Brigham. Furthermore, the spokesperson emphasized that sleeping in cars on hospital premises is against the policy, and employees who choose to stay on-call instead of going home should be offered a designated on-call room.
This incident sheds light on the ongoing nurse staffing shortages not only in the United States but also worldwide. The nursing profession is facing challenges such as burnout, which is becoming increasingly prevalent. A study conducted in 2022 with over 50,000 nurses revealed that more than 45% experience feelings of burnout on a regular basis, while nearly 50% reported experiencing fatigue.
It is crucial for hospitals and healthcare organizations to address these issues and provide support for nurses to prevent such incidents and ensure the well-being of their staff. Nurses play an invaluable role in healthcare settings, and their physical and mental well-being should be a top priority.
