A Drunk Driver Crashed Into a Parade Crowd at Mardi Gras, Hopsitalizing Least 21 People

A reported drunk driver crashed into a crowd attending a Mardi Gras parade, hospitalizing at least 21 people.

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A man reported to be driving drunk struck a crowd assembled at the Endymion parade in New Orleans on Saturday night, hospitalizing at least 21 people and putting at least 12 in critical condition.

Mardi Gras is in full swing down in NOLA, bringing massive crowds out to the streets of The Big Easy to celebrate. Pictures from the scene paint a portrait of chaos, with emergency personnel rushing to tend to all the victims affected by the crash:

Witnesses on the scene described a pickup truck barreling through the intersection at Orleans and Carrolton, careening off of several other vehicles and running into "rows of people" before it came to a stop against a dumpster. One witness visiting from Chicago told the Times-Picayune the crash "took the spirit out of the whole event." 

Local police were grim describing the end product of the crash. Spokeswoman Ambria Washington indicated the injury numbers are only preliminary and could increase as local police continue to investigate the crime. Police indicated to local reporters that the youngest victim could be as young as three or four years old. 

The parade continues to pass by the site of the crash, blasting upbeat music as it travels down the street, providing a surreal backdrop to a large number of police surrounding the scene of the crime.

This story is developing...

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