Boy hurt in Cape Breton Pride Parade on road to recovery: organizer
Boy whose leg was injured had 'attitude of a champion' after being struck by float and is recovering at home
A young boy whose leg was injured after he was struck by a float in the Cape Breton Pride Parade is recovering at home. His mother reached out to parade organizers about two hours after the event to let them know he hadn't broken any bones.
BJ Singleton, director of communications for Pride Cape Breton Society, said the mother sent a photo of the boy giving thumbs up and smiling, because he wanted to show them he was "doing great."
"We still had to continue on with the party in the park afterwards," said Singleton.
"So when the message came in it was a big sigh of relief, and gratefulness that he was okay."
Singleton said the mother thanked the group for their kindness and concern during and after the incident.
"I couldn't even begin to put myself in her shoes, and how she felt," said Singleton. "But she was handling it. So calm, so collected, and so was the child."
The boy was conscious throughout the incident, speaking to paramedics and first responders.
"He had the attitude of a champion," said Singleton.
Volunteers and witnesses 'shook'
Singleton was on the Pride Cape Breton float, more than a kilometre away from the front of the parade, where the boy was struck.
After the parade had been stopped for a few minutes, he realized something was off and ran to find out what was going on.
"When you arrive at the scene, you see an ambulance and you're like, 'Oh my god,'" said Singleton. "Your heart just sinks into your stomach. And you're hoping that it's nothing too severe, nothing too serious."
Singleton said the incident was "very scary", and many volunteers and performers were "shook."
"Even though, thankfully nothing too serious happened here, it's quite a shocking event to see a child's leg get bumped over by a wheel of a small flatbed," he said.
New safety protocols
Cape Breton Regional Municipality announced changes in their parade safety protocol in November, after a four-year-old girl was struck and killed by a float in Yarmouth's Christmas Parade of Lights.
Singleton said Pride Cape Breton Society will be debriefing with CBRM about this year's parade, and going over the protocol again.
"Parades are a thing for celebration, and fun, and cheering. We want big crowds to come out," said Singelton. "[But] we still have to take these safety precautions and follow best practices and make sure that nothing like this happens.
Pride Cape Breton runs until Aug. 10.