Driver injures not less than 15 folks after plowing into Lao New Year pageant in Louisiana | EUROtoday

At least 15 folks have been injured after an allegedly intoxicated driver plowed right into a crowd of individuals celebrating the Lao New Year in Louisiana, in accordance with police.

Deputies with the Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office are investigating after a automotive struck “multiple pedestrians during a parade,” the workplace mentioned in an announcement Saturday.

Several folks sustained accidents, a few of which had been believed to be critical. At least two folks had been airlifted to the hospital, in accordance with Acadian ​Ambulance.

Todd Landry, 57, of Jeanerette, faces 18 counts of first-degree negligent injuring, driving whereas impaired and careless operation of a car, amongst different expenses, police mentioned. Police don’t imagine the incident was an intentional act based mostly on a preliminary investigation, officers mentioned.

Images shared on social media seem to point out a number of folks sitting and mendacity on the bottom subsequent to a blue automotive that drove into the group on Saturday afternoon. Videos seem to point out a number of folks bleeding as emergency responders attempt to rescue an individual caught beneath the car.

The annual Lao New Year Festival happens over the Easter weekend in Lanexang Village outdoors of Broussard, roughly 140 miles west of New Orleans and residential to a rising Lao group the place refugee resettlement teams started aiding folks greater than 40 years in the past.

The occasion celebrating Songkran is among the many largest gathering of its type within the U.S.

Organizers of the pageant mentioned they had been “profoundly saddened” by information of the incident.

“We are awaiting additional details from authorities as they become available. All security resources have been redirected to the scene, and we currently do not have security personnel available due to the circumstances,” they mentioned in an announcement.

“We are praying for the victims and for their families during this difficult time,” the assertion added.

Festival occasions are presupposed to final via Sunday however had been cancelled for the remainder of Saturday following the incident “in the interest of public safety.”

Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry wrote on X that the federal government and his spouse Sharon Landry are “praying for all those affected, and are grateful for the first responders who have responded to the scene.”

State Attorney General Liz Murrill posted the same message of assist, including that she could be following up with native legislation enforcement on the problem.

Louisiana is not any stranger to tragedy throughout New Year celebrations following the Bourbon Street terror assault in New Orleans on January 1, 2025.

Fourteen folks had been killed and 30 others had been injured after Shamsud-Din Jabbar drove his truck into the crowded road. Jabbar, who was reportedly impressed by ISIS, was later killed in a fireplace combat with police.