Eight hurt at Shriner’s parade

Officers are trying to find out what caused a mini car and a dune buggy to collide while they drove circles around one another during the Saturday parade, police spokesman Rick Mincy said Monday. One of the vehicles ran into the crowd, sending five of the eight people injured to the hospital.

“It was just a freak accident. These Shriners probably do a parade every week somewhere in the United States,” Mincy said. “I don’t think they were careless. We haven’t filed any charges at this time.”

A 3-year-old child and an adult each sustained a broken leg, Chattanooga police spokesman Rick Mincy said Monday. The crash also sent three other people ‘ the driver of the car that went into the crowd, a 7-year-old and another adult ‘ to the hospital.

Mincy described all injuries as minor. Police didn’t release the names of the victims and didn’t identify the drivers beyond saying they are from Georgia.

About 5,000 Shriners were in Chattanooga for the 73rd annual convention of the Southeastern Shrine Association.

Bill Wagner, director general for the Southeastern Shrine convention, said Sunday that he participated in the parade but did not witness the accident.

He said he didn’t know their names or the condition of the driver who went to the hospital.

Wagner said the Shriners were awaiting a police report on the incident and did not want to make other statements until the report was completed.

The accident was the second involving parade vehicles crashing into bystanders in less than two months in Tennessee.

Six people were killed and 23 were injured when a drag racing car driven by Australian-born Troy Critchley careened into a crowd June 16 while performing a “burnout” routine at a Cars for Kids car show parade in Selmer, Tenn.