Wind Wallops Macy’s Parade Four Spectators Hurt In Cat In Hat Crash
Big Bird’s wings were clipped, the Pink Panther went pfft and the Cat in the Hat knocked down a street light, injuring four people, as strong winds wreaked havoc on the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Only one injury was serious, though it didn’t appear life-threatening, authorities said.
Most of the 17 balloons, which normally float three to four stories above the street, never got more than a few feet off the ground. Their handlers - Macy’s employees and relatives who volunteer for the duty - struggled desperately to keep their inflated charges under control along the 2-1/2-mile parade route.
“We lost an ear at Columbus Circle and the head in the theater district. It’s amazing we made it this far,” said Carmela Slivinski, one of the volunteer handlers. “It was a real battle. I wouldn’t want to do this again.”
An estimated 1 million spectators lined the route from Manhattan’s upper West Side to Macy’s flagship store at Herald Square in midtown. Several balloons arrived at the department store visibly damaged by 40-mph gusts, which howled in from side streets and whipped the floats from side to side.
Police said the Cat in the Hat, a Dr. Seuss character that has been in the annual procession for several years, skewed into a lamppost on Central Park West at 72nd Street, a few blocks from the start. It knocked off the light section, which fell into the crowd standing 12 to 15 deep along the sidewalk, according to witnesses.
Two women were taken to a hospital with head injuries. One was in critical condition, the other stable, a spokesman said. Two other people went to a hospital with minor injuries.
Even before the parade began, winds shredded a giant Flying Fish balloon and damaged several others as the procession was being readied. The Pink Panther was pulled from the parade after it went flat in Times Square.
The parade, a holiday tradition started in 1924, was only suspended three times - from 1942 through 1944 - because of World War II.
In 1993, winds caused the 64-foot tall Sonic the Hedgehog to crash into a lamppost and explode.