Man who drove car into parade crowd may have had medical emergency

DAMASCUS, Va., May 19 (UPI) — Police in Damascus, Ga., said the driver of a car that plowed into a crowd during a parade, injuring about 60 people, may have suffered a medical emergency.

The man, whose name was not reported, was driving a 1997 Cadillac at 20-25 mph when the car veered into the crowd Saturday at the Appalachian Trail Days parade, sending nine people to area hospitals, at least two by helicopter, The Washington Post reported.

Damascus police Chief William H. Nunley said the driver apparently suffered from a medical condition but it was not clear what may have afflicted him. There were reports the driver was elderly, the Post said.

Damascus Town Council member Peg Ayers said she feared initially the injuries from the crash would be “much more serious.”

Pokey Harris, director of emergency management in Washington County, Va., said the injuries ranged from “superficial, bangs and bruises,” to the more serious, the Post reported.

Harris said most people had been discharged from hospitals Saturday night.