Thanksgiving Parade Balloon Injures Two

[PixieDust32]

NEW YORK (Nov. 24) - A giant balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade snagged a street light and caused part of it to fall, injuring a woman and a child.

This M&M's hot air balloon lies on the street after colliding with a light pole during New York's annual Thanksgiving parade.

The accident happened in Times Square near the end of the nationally televised parade when the tethers on the "M&M's Chocolate Candies'' balloon became entangled on the head of the street lamp and knocked it off.

"It happened so fast,'' said parade spectator Karim Simmons. "It dropped like a rock.''

The accident marred the holiday celebration but the injuries were less serious than in the parade eight years ago when another balloon knocked over a lightpost, critically injuring a woman and prompting changes in parade rules.

The 26-year-old woman and 11-year-old girl who were hit Thursday were identified by police as sisters from Albany. The girl was treated for minor scrapes on the side of her head. The woman, who was in a wheelchair, needed six stitches on the back of her head. Both were released from a hospital by late afternoon, a hospital spokeswoman said.

"We should be thankful none were more seriously hurt,'' Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.

The crew handling the balloon was apparently trying to correct its course after a gust when it became entangled with the light, Bloomberg said. The National Weather Service said the wind speed in Central Park at 11 a.m. was 10 mph, with gusts up to 21 mph.

The circumstances were an echo of the 1997 accident, when 45 mph winds blew a "Cat in the Hat'' balloon into a metal pole on Central Park West.

As a result of that accident, balloon handlers were ordered to be given more training, and guidelines were set to ground balloons if the winds were too strong. Streetlights were also redesigned, including the one broken Thursday.

Parade organizers were given the go-ahead to use the balloons this year, but ordered them tethered on shorter lines because of moderate breezes at the parade's start.

The Macy's parade started in 1924 and has been an annual tradition, canceled only in the World War II years of 1942 to 1944.

The balloons, including Nickelodeon's Dora the Explorer, the parade's first Latina balloon character, shared top billing with 10 marching bands, 27 floats and performers such as LeAnn Rimes, Aaron Neville and Kristin Chenoweth.

Among those watching was 85-year-old Ron Kahn, who took pictures while perching on a ladder.

"This is wonderful. It's part of New York,'' Kahn said.

Sayra Hernandez watched from a side street with her son, Lucas, 4, sitting on her shoulders.

"It seems better on TV, maybe more glamorous, not this hectic,'' said Hernandez, 30, of Manhattan. "But the smile on my kid's face is priceless.''


11/24/05 18:14 EST

 

[Imzadi]

The woman, who was in a wheelchair, needed six stitches on the back of her head. Both were released from a hospital by late afternoon, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Not to minimize what happened but that picture makes it look worse than it was. The balloon was was taken down to the ground right AFTER the accident. The pic makes it look like it's lying on a bunch of people in the crowd.

Mayor Bloomberg said he will reevaluate whether they need to lower the current level for how windy it can get & still have the balloons up. But only 2 accidents of this type in the 79 years of the parade is amazing.

Maybe they should wrap some type netting over the street lamps so the tether lines can't get get wraped around them so easily, or if they do, any damage is contained with-IN the netting.

 

[PixieDust32]

Not to minimize what happened but that picture makes it look worse than it was. The balloon was was taken down to the ground right AFTER the accident. The pic makes it look like it's lying on a bunch of people in the crowd.

Mayor Bloomberg said he will reevaluate whether they need to lower the current level for how windy it can get & still have the balloons up. But only 2 accidents of this type in the 79 years of the parade is amazing.

Maybe they should wrap some type netting over the street lamps so the tether lines can't get get wraped around them so easily, or if they do, any damage is contained with-IN the netting.

Exactly! I saw it on the news and it wasn't so bad. And you're right 2 in 79 years.
The picture shows the ballon on one side of the road and the injured people on the other. Also the it reads under the pic that it was a piece of the light pole not the ballon.

 

[Planogirl]

Luckily the injuries were mild. Maybe it was something ornamental that broke off the light?

I do love the balloons. They're so "Thanksgiving" to me.

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

The Richmond Christmas Parade rented balloons from Macy's and back in the 90's, DW MeanLaureen was a handler 4 times, of those 4, she was the lead that navigated them 4 times. She told me that she and her crew would have to navigate them under traffic lights that were strung across the street and around street lights on either side of the road downtown. The balloon would always come in contact with the lamps but never had enough "umph" to come anywhere near knocking one apart. She thinks there was probably something wrong with that street light to begin with making it loose and easily knocked apart.

The wind factor was brutal for her. One time she was supposed to captain the largest balloon Macy's had at the time - Bullwinkle. They got it 2/3rd of the way inflated during a day with 25MPH wind gusts. She said that a gust came as they were trying to hold it down to finish filling and the balloon literally picked her up 5ft off the ground and slammed her back onto the pavement. They ended up going for a smaller balloon that day.

Lauri said it was a strenous job and your muscles would be aching by the end of the parade. Although she said they never had enough people to man all the ropes. She did say that it was definately worth it one year because she ended up in a Paul Simon music video that he filmed during the parade in Richmond.

 

[Planogirl]

That is fascinating! I can't imagine handling Bullwinkle because that thing is HUGE. I've watched the balloon handlers and I can see that it must be unbelievably tiring to walk that route.

 

[Imzadi]

Luckily the injuries were mild. Maybe it was something ornamental that broke off the light?

If you look at the right side of the street, you will see the lamp pole jutting up. That little upside down "J"-hook is missing the whole lamp globe on the left side of the lamp. It's there on the right. That was what got ripped off the pole.

I can't imagine it. I'm very cautious when I walk by ball games because the softball invariably comes flying right out of the blue & hits ME! Ouch! The thing is, the ball is never thrown in my direction, but it veers of to hit me.

Lauri said it was a strenous job and your muscles would be aching by the end of the parade.

The accident happened right near the END of the parade. So those poor handlers must have been holding the balloon up for hours as the balloon got underway.

I'm curious. On the news they also showed a poor Kermit balloon that was rapidly deflating & falling to the ground. In the wind, Kermie even looked like he was struggling to get back up. But it looked like poor Kermit was dying! Doesn't that traumatise the little kids?

 

[Joanna71985]

The 26-year-old woman and 11-year-old girl who were hit Thursday were identified by police as sisters from Albany. The girl was treated for minor scrapes on the side of her head. The woman, who was in a wheelchair, needed six stitches on the back of her head. Both were released from a hospital by late afternoon, a hospital spokeswoman said.
11/24/05 18:14 EST

That is horrible, but I heard it was the 11-year-old who needed the stitches and the older sister who just had bruises and cuts.