Cotton Carnival parade accident injures boy, grandmother in Sikeston

A traffic accident involving a trailer being pulled at the American Legion Cotton Carnival parade in Sikeston, Missouri, on Saturday injured a 7-year-old boy and the child�s grandmother, the city�s Department of Public Safety (DPS) said.

The route of the 74th annual parade was lined with onlookers when the accident occurred at 8:20 a.m., according to a DPS news release issued Monday.

The accident occurred as a 43-year-old Benton, Missouri, man, driving a vehicle pulling a trailer, was attempting to turn right from Malone Street onto Elm Street, assistant chief James McMillen said.

�The driver said as he was making his right turn, a vehicle traveling north on Elm caused him to cut the turn shorter than he originally planned. While trying to avoid the oncoming vehicle, he inadvertently pulled the 36-foot trailer onto the southwest corner of the intersection,� McMillen reported in the release.

According to the release, the trailer struck the child, rolling over him, as he waited for the parade.

�The child�s grandmother stated the trailer tires ran over her feet as well,� McMillen said.

The driver stopped the vehicle after the accident, the release said.

The boy was taken by ambulance to an area hospital.

�On the day of the incident, we were told that he had some broken ribs and abrasions,� McMillen said. The grandmother was believed to have some bruising to both feet.

�Shortly after this incident, many false rumors began circulating on social media,� McMillen said in the release.

McMillen told the Southeast Missourian that Scott County prosecutor Paul Boyd was not driving the vehicle. The news release issued later Monday did not name Boyd, but said the driver �is not running for any political office.�

Boyd is seeking re-election in November.

McMillen said the driver, who had a Class E Missouri driver�s license, �fully cooperated� with officers who investigated the incident.

�All indication was that this was just an unfortunate accident,� the assistant chief said.

�Our thoughts and prayers go out to the child and his family, but also to the driver of this vehicle as he was very upset about the incident,� McMillen said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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