February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
Two of those hurt were members of the Monmouth, N.J., County Pies and Drums, and although none of the injuries were life threatening, several parade goers were taken to the hospital after the gold Chrysler Sebring veered from the parade route and plowed into the crowd at Wright Square last Wednesday.
John Edward Sheppard, who is 62, was at the wheel of the shamrock-decorated car and witnesses told police that he appeared to be trying to steer through the crowd after he apparently lost control of the vehicle’s acceleration.
Police spokesperson Bucky Burnsed said that Sheppard had not been drinking nor had any medical condition that could have caused him to lose control of the vehicle.
“He seemed to be trying to maneuver around people as best he could, but it was clear he couldn’t control the speed of the car,” said Hank Reed, director of operations for the G-8 summit of world leaders that is coming to Georgia next June.
The car struck Reed’s left hand and he needed stitches.
Checking the car for mechanical failure could take days, Burnsed added.
This was Savannah’s 180th St Patrick’s Day parade, which is said to be the second-largest St Patrick’s Day celebration in the U.S., after the New York City parade.
Police say they have yet to decide whether to charge Sheppard, but it seemed likely that the crash was caused by a mechanical problem and not driver error.
Reed said that Sheppard deserved credit for controlling the car as well as he did.
“Maybe it was luck, but I think he chose just the best place he could have gone,” Reed said. “If he pulled onto the sidewalk, he was going to hit people lining the sidewalk. And if he continued to go straight, he’d run over the parade participants.”
Savannah city officials also spoke out against what they saw as “lewd” and “raunchy” trinkets and items of clothing being sold by street vendors on the parade route.
City Revenue Director Buddy Clay also said he thought there were too many festival hawkers this year, but added that he was not sure there was much Savannah’s officials could do about the goods on sale.
“That’s a slippery slope,” Clay said. “I don’t want to become the decency police.”
“There was some real raunchy stuff this year. I think a local person would be more concerned about decency than the folks who drag this stuff from place to place across the country.”
“It’s too easy to Monday-morning quarterback,” Savannah Area Convention and Visitors Bureau President Anthony Schopp said. “And there is every indication that this will be the best March Savannah has ever had in terms of tourism.”