3 dead, dozens injured after US homecoming parade crash

A still image grabbed from Wochit shows the secne of a car crash a homecoming parade at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma, Oct 24, 2015. [Photo/Agencies]

STILLWATER, Okla. - A car driven at high speed by a woman suspected of being under the influence of alcohol plowed into crowds watching a homecoming parade at Oklahoma State University on Saturday, killing at least three people and injuring more than 30 others.

Witnesses described bodies being flung dozens of feet into the air as the gray Hyundai Elantra slammed into the throng at the intersection of Main Street and Hall of Fame Avenue in Stillwater, some 80 miles (130 km) northeast of Oklahoma City, as the parade celebrating the school's homecoming was ending.

Authorities said the car crashed through barricades and struck an unmanned police motorcycle before barreling through the spectators.

In addition to the three fatalities, some 35 other people were injured in the 10:30 am crash, including eight critically, according to a statement from the office of Stillwater Mayor Gina Noble.

Nine victims were transported to Stillwater Medical Center in serious condition and 17 went to hospitals under their own power, the statement said. At least five of the most seriously injured patients were children.

"We are heartbroken about the tragedy, and our hearts and prayers are with the families of those who died and are injured," Noble said.

The driver, identified as 25-year-old Adacia Avery Chambers, was taken into custody on suspicion of driving while under the influence of alcohol, said Captain Kyle Gibbs of the Stillwater Police.

"I've been here 29 years and I can't recall an incident of this magnitude," Gibbs told reporters at the scene.