Tragedy Strikes at College Homecoming Parade
Four people were killed and as many as 47 were injured in Stillwater, Oklahoma on Saturday morning when a car plowed into a crowd watching Oklahoma State University’s annual homecoming parade.
Adacia Chambers was arrested on the charge of DUI after ramming her gray Hyundai Elantra through a road barrier and into a police motorcycle before finally hitting a large group of parade goers on the corner of Hall Fame Avenue and Main Street. A video of the tragic event shows that the car had no intention of stopping.
OSU’s “Sea of Orange” parade is a popular event that brings thousands of alumni, family and friends to downtown Stillwater. The roads were blocked off early that morning allowing for floats to begin their lineup. While the parade started at 9 a.m., Cowboy fans began arriving as early as 8 a.m. to grab the perfect seat on Main Street. The corner of Hall Fame Avenue and Main Street, where the accident happened, was the ending point of the parade, blocked off from traffic by only a few road blockades.
Police and security were at most road blocks keeping the parade safe as over 100 organizations walked through downtown waving and smiling to the on-lookers, many of which were children. While the parade was ending, and the final floats moved past the last of the crowds, the Elantra sped into the only things keeping the crowds safe from harm, the blockades and the police motorcycle planted in front of it.
Chambers, 25, will face four counts of second-degree murder. Her lawyer, Tony Coleman, hopes to request a mental health evaluation when she goes before a judge on Monday, October 26. “Her competency is of great concern to me,” he told reporters on Sunday.