Dozens hurt when car plows into parade
DAMASCUS, Va. -- Authorities believe the driver who plowed into dozens of hikers marching in a Virginia mountain town parade suffered from a medical condition and did not cause the crash intentionally, an official said Sunday.
Officials did not have any specifics on the condition, but based on the accounts of authorities and witnesses on the scene, they are confident the issue was medical, said Pokey Harris, Washington County's director of emergency management.
About 50 to 60 people at the Hikers Parade on Saturday suffered injuries ranging from critical to superficial. The crash happened around 2:10 p.m. during the Trail Days festival, an annual celebration of the Appalachian Trail in Damascus.
Damascus police didn't identify the driver but several witnesses said he was an elderly man.
Police said the man's 1997 Cadillac was one of the last vehicles in the parade and the driver might have suffered a medical problem when his car accelerated to about 25 mph and struck the crowd on a two-lane bridge. The driver was among those taken to hospitals.
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