A young pedestrian was taken to hospital following a collision in the Giant Tiger parking lot during Steinbach’s Summer in the City festival Saturday evening.
RCMP say the incident happened at 5:46 p.m. when a 19-year-old male driver struck a barricade and a pedestrian. Festival organizers also responded to the incident due to the close proximity of the accident. That parking lot is along the section of Main Street that is closed to regular traffic for the weekend festival.
Police report that the 21-year-old was transported to hospital and is in stable condition.
RCMP say the incident was not targeted and charges are likely. The Criminal Collision Investigative Team is working alongside Steinbach RCMP as the investigation continues. Police expect to release more details regarding charges on Monday.
Festival organizers respond quickly
Audrey Harder, chair of the Summer in the City board, says they were alerted to the situation quickly through their internal radio system.
“We got a call saying somebody's been hit by a car,” said Harder. “I jumped on a Gator and said, ‘Take me there.’”
She says a paramedic was already on site and quickly stepped in before the ambulance arrived. Emergency crews had the situation under control quickly and received help from nearby festival staff and volunteers.
“It was a very sad and difficult situation we don’t like to see, but I’m just glad it was dealt with well,” said Harder.
Minimal disruption to festival events
Despite the seriousness of the incident, Harder says it didn’t disrupt the rest of the downtown festival.
“I don’t know if you could tell anywhere else in the festival that there was anything happening because it was dealt with so well,” she said. “We had really good support from the emergency professionals.”
Harder says organizers are always looking for ways to improve festival safety. She notes they have ongoing discussions with RCMP and other emergency personnel before, during and after the event.
“We’ve had a lot of questions about safety, especially with other large festivals having vehicles run into crowds,” she said. “So we’ve been more aware and working with RCMP to make sure if there’s anything heard, they would let us know.”
-With files from Kenton Dyck.