A tragic accident claimed the life of a mother of two, who was enjoying a St. Patrick’s Day parade in Kentucky. The woman, a seasoned world traveler, was involved in a devastating incident on Saturday when she was dragged under a parade float and fatally injured in the presence of many onlookers.

Identified as 50-year-old Joan Pannuti Pottinger, she was walking alongside a float adorned with hay bales, which was being towed by a gray pickup truck during the Louisville, Kentucky parade. Tragically, her foot became ensnared by the vehicle, leading to the heartbreaking accident.

Within moments, Pottinger was pulled beneath the float. Volunteers and attendees, struck by horror, quickly rushed to her aid as the parade came to a halt.

Pottinger was taken to the University of Louisville Hospital, where she was later declared deceased.

In the chaotic moments following the incident, many in the crowd were initially unaware of the gravity of the situation.

David Gnamba, a food vendor at the event, shared with NBC affiliate WAVE 3 that he witnessed emergency personnel transporting Pottinger on a stretcher. At the time, he didn’t realize the severity of what he had seen and was shocked when he learned that the accident had resulted in a fatality.

“It does break my heart because that’s a person that lost their life … this is not news that we want to hear — as human beings, as vendors, as people, as partygoers,” Gnamba told the outlet.

Stephanie Youstra, a volunteer mascot, told the outlet that she had just wrapped up her part of the route when the floats behind her stopped moving. Rumors about the incomprehensible accident eventually made its way up to the front of the parade.

“My heart just goes out to anyone who was in that float, and all the people in that float, and the family. I just can’t imagine that they are all feeling,” Youstra said.

Pottinger’s friends and family confirmed her passing in posts on social media.

After a decade-long career with Kraft Foods, Pottinger took an elongated break from the workforce.

She pivoted to the nonprofit Best Buddies International in 2024. In less than a year, she rose from development coordinator to the director of mission advancement for Kentucky, according to her LinkedIn.

In her free time, Pottinger could often be found traveling with her husband and their two daughters, ages 9 and 13, as documented on her Facebook.

A close friend set up a GoFundMe “in honor Joan Pottinger and the incredible impact she had on everyone who knew her.” It cleared its first goal less than a day after it was posted and was inching towards $50,000 in donations as of Monday evening.