Scores injured after 'elderly man' drives car into crowd at US parade
Witnesses said the car drove into a crowd at the parade and hurt several people, but the nature of their injuries wasn't immediately known
About 50 to 60 people were injured Saturday when a driver described by witnesses as an elderly man drove his car into a group of hikers marching in a parade in a small Virginia mountain town.
Washington County director of emergency management Pokey Harris said no fatalities had been reported.
The injuries ranged from critical to superficial, he said. Three of the victims were flown by helicopters to regional hospitals. Another 12 to 15 were taken by ambulance. The rest were treated at the scene.
The status of the driver wasn’t released. Multiple witnesses described him as an elderly man.
Authorities are still investigating, but Harris said they believe the man might have suffered a medical emergency before the accident.
It happened around 2.30pm during the Hikers Parade at the Trail Days festival, an annual celebration of the Appalachian Trail in Damascus, near the Tennessee state line about a half-hour drive east of Bristol.
What caused the car to drive into the crowd wasn’t immediately known. It appeared to come from a side street, and a thud could be heard. People yelled stop, and at some point, the car finally stopped.
