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Oklahoma State Homecoming Parade Crash: 3 Dead, 29 Injured After Car Plows Into Crowd

By Danny Cox
Published on: 05:49 PST, Oct 24, 2015

Tragedy struck Oklahoma State University on Saturday morning as a car plowed through a crowd that was watching the homecoming parade. At least three people are dead and more than two dozen more are injured after the grisly scene that happened early on Saturday.

News On 6 is reporting that three people are dead as has been confirmed by the Stillwater mayor. Ten people are said to be in critical condition and 27 have been transported to local hospitals to be treated for their injuries. A total of eight helicopters responded to the scene.

Witnesses have said the crowd was watching the homecoming parade when a car crashed into them at a right rate of speed. The vehicle was not a part of the homecoming parade at Oklahoma State’s homecoming, but it was on Main Street before crashing into the crowd at the intersection of Hall of Fame.

In the accident, a police motorcycle was also struck by the vehicle.

RT had a quote from Konda Walker, a witness who had spoken to the Stillwater News Press.

“At first we thought it was part of the show. People were flying 30 feet into the air like rag dolls.”

Not much is known about the driver of the car or what may have caused the person to plow into the crowd at the parade. A number of witnesses did say that the person taken into custody by the police was a woman. There is no word on her age or condition as of Saturday afternoon.

UPDATE – 1:55pm: Fox News has reported that the woman taken into custody was arrested under suspicion of DUI.

NBC News reports that the 25-year-old driver of the vehicle was found to be under the influence, but the person’s name has not yet been released.

Oklahoma State’s homecoming weekend festivities are said to be some of the largest in the nation as there are tens of thousands of people that attend every year. Every year on Saturday morning, the parade rolls through Stillwater and thrills everyone.

On Saturday, the parade, called the “Homecoming Sea of Orange Parade,” was set to begin at 9 a.m. (10 a.m. ET) and run until 11 a.m. Later in the day, beginning at 2:30 p.m. Central, Oklahoma State has their Homecoming football game against the University of Kansas.

Witnesses have said that people just started screaming and yelling “Look out!” before the car plowed into the crowd. Many people weren’t sure what was happening before it was too late and the car was already making its way through the hordes of people.

The car finally came to rest near a light pole and that was when police and other emergency crews began arriving on the scene. Other people in the crowd began running into the street to see what kind of help they could give to those that were injured.

Oklahoma State University has not said what will happen during the rest of the day with the other festivities and plans. After the crash that killed three and injured numerous others in Stillwater, people are still trying to figure out what to do and how to help those that are in the hospital.

[Images via Twitter – Geoff Haxton]

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