SEBASTIAN — A woman participating in the Sebastian Fourth of July Parade was run over by her float on Indian River Drive during the event, the Sebastian Police Department said. The woman sustained a leg injury and was taken to Sebastian River Medical Center for treatment.
Police spokesman Officer Steve Marcinik said the woman, who was not identified, caught her toe under a tire of the float and she fell near the Riverfront Chill and Grill. Another tire on the float then ran over her leg.
Ofc. Marcinik said the woman was alert and coherent when emergency personnel arrived.
The incident caused an estimated 20-minute delay mid-way through the parade as emergency responders had to stop the parade to let an ambulance through.
“Our biggest concern is when people interact with floats,” Ofc. Marcinik said.
He said that volunteers stress the importance of being mindful of the floats to both participants and parade-goers.
In the past, there have been minor incidents of parade-goers’ getting their feet caught under tires as floats roll by because they have gotten too close to the parade vehicles, Ofc. Marcinik said.