Tragedy struck during the 53rd annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Louisville, Kentucky, when a woman lost her life in a horrific accident. The lively event, attended by people of all ages, was marred by the unforeseen incident that unfolded in front of numerous onlookers.
The victim, a woman estimated to be in her 50s, was walking alongside a parade float when disaster struck. The float, adorned with hay bales and connected to a gray pickup truck, became a deadly hazard when her foot became entangled, according to local reports.
In a matter of seconds, she was pulled beneath the moving float, where she was tragically run over, as reported by NBC affiliate WAVE 3. Witnesses, including volunteers and attendees, responded swiftly, bringing the vehicle to a halt in a desperate attempt to render assistance.
Despite the immediate efforts to save her, the woman was transported to the University of Louisville Hospital. Sadly, she succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead, as confirmed by the police.
The vehicle skid to a stop as volunteers and parade-goers rushed to the woman’s aid.
She was taken to the University of Louisville Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, police told the outlet.
Thousands of others packing the streets closer to the front of the parade had no idea what was happening when the floats slowly came to a halt.
Stephanie Youstra, a volunteer mascot, told WAVE that she had just wrapped up her segment on the route when the floats behind her stopped moving. Other parade participants eventually spread the news of the tragic incident up the line.
“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 told WAVE.
David Gnamba, who was working at his family’s food truck near the parade, watched emergency responders haul the woman onto a stretcher. He didn’t consider it was “something very serious,” let alone fatal.
“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.
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg called on the community to keep the victim’s “family and friends in your prayers.”
“May her memory be a blessing,” Greenberg wrote on X.
The Louisville Metro Police Department’s traffic unit was investigating the incident.
