A balloon blown off-course injures two people and mars the famed Macy's parade.
By wire services
Published November 25, 2005
NEW YORK - A super-sized balloon sponsored by M&Ms veered out of control at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday, injuring two people and raising questions about the safety procedures governing the annual spectacle.
While New York police had put extra counterterrorism measures in place for the 81st annual parade, there also had been concern about controlling the balloons, some of which are 6 stories tall, in winds that ranged between 15 and 20 mph. News reports before the parade had raised questions about whether safety and training standards for the event might have slipped.
"We have to look and see what procedures we have to change, if any, before the parade next year," said New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
The mishap, near the end of the 21/2-mile parade route, was reminiscent of a 1997 accident that led the city to establish strict new rules about balloon handling and barred their use if winds got too strong. The accident also reflects a long-running tension between keeping the much-loved parade safe and retaining its trademark balloons, which often dwarf the buildings they float past.
City officials have promised an investigation into the incident.
The accident happened in Times Square near the end of the nationally televised parade when the 515-pound polyurethane balloon knocked off a light fixture from a street lamp.
The victims - a 26-year-old woman, who was using a wheelchair, and her 11-year-old sister - were taken to Bellevue Hospital Center, where they were treated for cuts and bruises.
The girl, identified by officials as Sarah Chamberlain of Albany, was cut in the back of the head, received six stitches and had a chipped tooth; her older sister, Mary, with a bruised forehead, was given a CAT scan, officials said. Both were released several hours later.
"We should be thankful none were more seriously hurt," Bloomberg said.
The episode was a repetition of one eight years ago. On Nov. 27, 1997, a 6-story-tall Cat in the Hat balloon in the parade slammed into a cast-steel lamppost at 72nd Street and Central Park West, shearing off a horizontal arm and injuring four people, one of whom spent 24 days in a coma.
That accident had led to a mayoral task force and promises by Macy's of, among other things, more training for its balloon handlers. In recent days, with forecasts of strong winds, Macy's officials had said that the enhanced training was still in effect. But they conceded that hundreds of handlers who would be working underneath the enormous balloons had received no field training, only instructional materials and brief orientations before the parade.
The M&Ms balloon was removed immediately, but police and other officials allowed the parade to complete its 2.5-mile route to Herald Square, saying the balloon was one of the final attractions in the three-hour event.
Robin B. Hall, the Macy's parade director, said the M&Ms balloon was controlled by 48 or 50 balloon handlers, under the direction of a 12-member "flight" team, including an experienced pilot.
Only four of the handlers had not worked in a previous parade, he said. Macy's officials would not make any of the handlers or flight directors available for interviews. The balloon was making its second appearance in the parade.
Information from the Associated Press, Los Angeles Times and New York Times was used in this report.
