On Monday, three individuals, including a child and a woman in a wheelchair, sustained injuries when a minivan entered streets closed off for a Native American festival in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Michelle Moyer, a city spokesperson, reported that the injured parties were taken to the hospital, though their conditions remain unknown. The incident occurred during the final day of the Kipona Festival, an annual three-day event celebrating the region’s Native American heritage.
“A woman circumvented and passed through barriers set up to block traffic for the festival,” Moyer stated. “She collided with a woman in a wheelchair and a child. Additionally, one of our public works staff was hurt while attempting to stop her.”
According to NBC affiliate WGAL of Harrisburg, the vehicle traveled six blocks before halting. The incident took place along Front Street, where food trucks, vendors, and carnival game booths were positioned, per the event’s map.
The driver was taken into custody, Moyer said.
Photos taken after the event, verified by NBC News, depict a damaged minivan stopped on a block designated for booths that are part of the festivities.
It wasn’t immediately clear why the van drove onto the closed street.
The city said it was the 109th annual Kipona Festival.
The Kipona Festival’s webpage provides an overview of the event: “This yearly tradition unites Native American communities from different tribes to celebrate and highlight their cultures through performances of dance, music, storytelling, crafts, and culinary offerings.”
Festival organizers did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
