Second Person Fatally Hit By New Orleans Carnival Parade Float

Feb 23, 2020, 7:10 PM

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A police officer works the scene where a man was reportedly hit and killed by a float of the Krewe of Endymion parade in the runup to Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020. A person was struck by a float and fatally injured Saturday evening during one of the iconic parades of the Mardi Gras season in New Orleans, authorities said. It was the second death in days to mar this year's Carnival festivities. (Max Becherer/The Advocate via AP)

(Max Becherer/The Advocate via AP)

BY STEVE ALMASY & HOLLIE SILVERMAN, CNN

KSLTV.com

(CNN) – A person was killed Saturday night at the Krewe of Endymion parade in New Orleans when they were hit by a float, authorities said.

Police Superintendent Shaun Ferguson said a tandem float was involved in the incident.

“I do have my concerns and I think we have to do our due diligence in making sure this is a safe Carnival for everyone,” he told reporters.

NOLA Ready, the city’s emergency preparedness campaign, and Mayor LaToya Cantrell announced tandem floats won’t be allowed for the rest of the season. Tandem floats have two or more sections connected by a hitch.

Cantrell said police responded to the fatality “in record time.”

The final part of the parade was canceled, NOLA Ready tweeted.

It is the second death during the Carnival season that precedes Mardi Gras.

A woman was killed Wednesday night during the Krewe of Nyx parade. She was hit by a tandem float, authorities said.

In 2017 a pickup truck went into the crowd and dozens of people were injured. The driver went to prison and was released in July 2018, NOLA.com reported.

Five parades are scheduled for Sunday, officials said.

The Endymion parade is one of the most popular parades leading up to Mardi Gras, which is Tuesday, and one of the most family oriented.

The parade, held in the Mid-City neighborhood far from the French Quarter, included 37 tractor-drawn floats, some of them double- and triple-deckers.

Ferguson said there will be one tractor for each float section in the future.

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