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December 3, 2008

Local Scouts respond to parade crash

Police chief says safeguards in place to protect participants, crowd for Saturday’s procession

By Jayson Larson Editor

The terrible news Monday night caught the eye of Athens Cub Scout Master Nick Rosenberg: a wayward truck slammed into a group of Cub Scouts getting ready to walk in a parade in an East Texas town. Several were seriously hurt.

The news came just a few days before members of his own troop are scheduled to participate in the annual Athens Chamber of Commerce Christmas parade.

“You hate to hear something like that, especially when it’s the kids,” Rosenberg said. “We just pray for the best, and know everything else is in God’s hands.”

In the case of Overton, no amount of preparation would likely have made a difference. According to reports, an 82-year-old Troup man drove around barricades into a crowd lined up for the parade. Most of the Scouts and adults were listed in good condition Tuesday, while others were treated at Tyler area hospitals and released. A 7-year-old boy was listed in serious condition at Mother Frances Hospital. Another youth was flown to a Dallas hospital. As of Tuesday afternoon, no deaths had been reported.

The parade was canceled and the driver was arrested, although initial reports indicate the driver veered into the group after getting lost.

Rosenberg said Scout leaders and other adults will be watching their children closely during Saturday’s parade. Scouts are scheduled to ride on a float, consisting of a 32-foot trailer, and adults will be on the float with them to ensure their safety.

“We’re going to keep the kids where no legs are dangling over the sides and where parents can ride with them,” Rosenberg said. “Obviously we’re going to keep safety in mind with everything we do. My son is in Scouts. I treat every child as if they’re my own.”

Athens Police Chief Buddy Hill said his department is once again ready to implement an action plan to keep parade spectators and participants safe.

An officer will lead the procession — which travels north on Palestine Street, around the north end of the Henderson County Courthouse and south down Prairieville Street back toward Trinity Valley Community College — and will stay in constant communication with other officers along the route.

Those officers incrementally stop traffic as the parade progresses along the route. Traffic can’t be completely stopped, Hill said, because of the gridlock it would create around the square.

“We cover as many intersections as we possibly can, especially those that have a higher volume of cars,” Hill said. He noted two officers are usually positioned at the intersection of East Tyler and Palestine streets, for example.

Line-up occurs in the parking lot at Trinity Valley, with entrance points on the north end of the parking lot and an exit on the south end. No traffic is permitted to move through the parking lot except floats lining up. Line-up will begin for judged floats at 5 p.m., with all others lining up at 5:30.

In light of Monday night’s events, Rosenberg said he wants to find a way to reach out to the neighboring pack that saw several of its members seriously injured.

“We want to let our other fellow Scouts know we feel for them,” he said. “We just pray nothing like that ever happens to us.”

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