A 13-year-old boy died Monday after he was run over by a parade float he had fallen from during a Memorial Day procession in Ohio, authorities said.
The North Canton teen — whose identity hasn’t been released — was participating in the holiday parade in the town of Green around 11:23 a.m. when he tumbled off the front of the festive trailer and was struck by the platform’s dual tires, the Summit County Sheriff’s Office announced.
The annual event came to a sudden halt as the youngster, who sustained severe injuries, was rushed to Akron Children’s Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
“It’s really a tragedy that this happened today,” Sgt. Corin Usinski told WEWS.
“They had numerous people on the float and alongside the float. I’ve been doing this for 25 years as a police officer and I’ve never heard of this happening ever before.”
The nearly two-mile-long parade kicked off from Green High School Monday morning around 10 a.m., according to the city’s website.
The patriotic wooden float — on which the boy was standing — was being pulled by a gray Ford F-150 pickup truck when he tragically fell, officials said.
“Our hearts go out to the family at this time of terrible loss,” Green Mayor Rocco Yeargin told reporters following the heartbreaking incident, the outlet reported.
“We look to support them as a Green community any way that we can. Our school district has reached out to the school district of North Canton to offer counselors that will be in action to help their students walk through this issue.”
The North Canton City Schools District also released a statement notifying families that a crisis management team will be on hand to help grieving students and staff.
“We are deeply saddened to have been informed of the passing of one of our North Canton City Schools students,” the statement read.
“There is no greater tragedy than the death of a young person, and we offer our sincere condolences and support to the family.”
The fatal incident remains under investigation.
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