An eight-year-old boy was fatally and accidentally run over by a float driven by his father at a Fourth of July parade in Oklahoma.
Authorities said that the boy was killed in the terrible accident, according to the Huffington Post. Tragedy struck when the young boy was riding on a martial arts group float at LibertyFest in Edmond before he got off or fell down during the parade's finale, said Police Officer James Hamm. Just before 11 a.m., the young boy hit the ground after being on the red, white and blue-decorated flatbed trailer. Unaware of what was going on, his father, who was driving the AKA Karate float, ran over him.
"The driver, obviously unknowing what was going on, drove forward and ran over the child," Hamm said. "Many of the kids that saw it knew the child as well."
There were many witnesses to the tragedy, which the boy was rushed to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead. Police did not release his or his father's name, and the father, who was not "reckless" and did not violate any traffic laws, is not expected to face charges. "It's just a freak, unfortunate accident," the officer said.
Police spokeswoman Jenny Monroe said investigators would speak to the father on Friday.
According to NBC News, the boy was on the float with about 20 children. A nurse in the vehicle behind the trailer tried to administer CPR before the boy was loaded into the ambulance. He still had a pulse at the time, the nurse said.
Thousands of spectators were in attendance, lining the route for the largest hometown parade in the state. It was their 40th annual parade, which is apart of their week long LibertyFest celebration.
It is unclear how this tragic accident will affect the rest of the area's famous celebration.