'Heard Some Cracking... Lot Of Screams': School Of Mines Student Recalls Parade Float Collapse
GOLDEN, Colo. (CBS4) – A homecoming parade float collapsed Saturday morning on the Colorado School of Mines campus in Golden, sending several students to the hospital. The two-story float, operated by school fraternity and sorority members, collapsed as the trailer it was on hit a curb on a turn.
"It was definitely pretty scary. There were people crying," said Tommy Papenthien, a sophomore at Mines.
Papenthien told CBS4's Dillon Thomas he was on a float behind the one that collapsed at the time of the incident. He said both levels of the float were filled with students.
"As they went around the corner, everyone kind of leaned to the side cause of the sharp corner," Papenthien said. "I heard some cracking and a lot of screams too. It was pretty scary. People were falling 20 feet."
Medics were called to the scene, and several students were transported with non-life threatening injuries. A spokesperson for the school said most students were released shortly after they arrived at the hospital.
Some students said they were under the impression that two-story floats were not allowed in the parade, raising questions as to how that float was permitted.
School officials tell CBS4 floats could not be any taller than two stories.
"It is lucky that no life threatening injuries occurred," Papenthien said.