Party goers had been enjoying the Mardi Gras Endymion parade when the Chevrolet veered into them, injuring 28.
Children and a police officer were injured when the driver ‘sent bodies flying off the hood’ as he drove through the crowd last night.
Michael Harrison, the police chief, said that it appeared to be a drink driving accident and there was ‘no evidence’ to suggest it was terrorism.
He said the 26-year-old driver was ‘highly intoxicated’ while witnesses described him as ‘out of it’.
The incident occured while families watched the parade (Pictures: Scott Threlkeld/The Advocate via AP)
The Chevrolet pick up truck was being driven by someone thought to be 2o (Pictures: REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton)
Twenty-one people were taken to hospital after the crash, five of them in a ‘guarded’ condition while seven others declined hospital treatment.
The victims’ ages ranged from three or four to people in their 30s and 40s, said city emergency services director Dr Jeff Elder.
Mayor Mitch Landrieu tweeted: ‘We are grateful that no one suffered any life threatening injuries.’
The Chevrolet is thought to have veered into the crowd after crashing into two vehicles before striking a dump truck.
A 20-year-old Louisiana State University student, Trey Klechak told Nola.com: ‘We heard tyres screeching, and we looked to our left and saw a dark grey Chevy 1500 Silverado and it looked like he was swerving in between people that were walking, trying to get to the parade route.’
‘There were bodies flying off the hood while he was still driving.’
Harrison said the injured police officer was undergoing tests and in ‘good spirits’.
People hugged and consoled each other (Pictures: Chris Granger/NOLA.com The Times-Picayune via AP)
The mayor commented on Twitter (Pictures: Matthew Hinton/The Advocate via AP)
A woman at the scene told the New Orleans Advocate that a truck whisked by her just feet away.
Carrie Kinsella said: ‘I actually literally felt it. I felt a rush, it was so fast.’
Post a Comment