Source: Siede Preis / Getty
GULF SHORES, AL (WALA) –
A vehicle struck several band members marching in the Gulf Shores Mardi Gras parade. A witness said the vehicle, which was involved in the parade, “plowed into” the band members just as the parade was starting around 10 a.m.
The young people who were struck were attended to right away by emergency responders on the street.
Twelve members of the Gulf Shores High School Band, ages 12 to 17, were injured, and four of those were in critical condition, said Gulf Shores city spokesman Grant Brown during an 11:45 a.m. news conference at Gulf Shores City Hall. The young musicians included six middle school students and six high school students, according to Baldwin County Schools Superintendent Eddie Tyler.
Brown said nine of the injured young people were transported to the South Baldwin Regional Medical Center. Two were transported to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola, Fla., and one was taken to Baptist Hospital in Pensacola, he said.
The band members were struck by a white, late-model SUV being driven by a 73-year-old man from Fairhope, officials said. During the news conference, officials said there was no indication the driver was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Officials said they do not believe the incident was an intentional act.
The city of Gulf Shores canceled the Mardi Gras parade immediately after the incident.
Witnesses told FOX10 News earlier Tuesday that a white vehicle with MOAA on its sides and driven by an elderly man drove into the band at Alabama 59 near Clubhouse Drive. MOAA is the Military Officers Association of America.
A witness said several teenagers were run over, and other band members were among those who ran to their aid, attempting to pull them from underneath the van.
Video posted to the Gulf Shores Fire Rescue Facebook page shows the band performing in the street minutes before the parade was to start. A white Ford Expedition can be seen stopped in the street behind the band.
A band member roll call was taken soon after the incident. FOX10 News was told all the band members have been accounted for, and members not injured were being reunited with parents at the high school.
Crisis counselors will be at Gulf Shores High School Wednesday, FOX10 News has learned.
READ MORE: Cleveland19.com
Article and Video Courtesy of WALA-TV Mobile, Alabama and WOIO Cleveland 19 News
Picture Courtesy of Siede Preis and Getty Images
