Man fatally struck by Mardi Gras float identified

Credit: Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

Credit: Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

A man was struck and killed by a Mardi Gras parade float Saturday night in New Orleans, the second fatal incident this week.

The victim was caught between two parts of the Captain S.S. Eddie, a tandem float in the Endymion parade, and crushed beneath it, WWL-TV reported.

Update 2:50 p.m. EST Feb. 23: Family members identified the man struck and killed by a Mardi Gras float Saturday as Joe Sampson, 58, WDSU reported.

Sampson was watching the Krewe of Endymion float when he was stuck just before 7 p.m., the television station reported.

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell released a statement Sunday, saying in part: “In wake of the tragic incidents along parade routes this week, our City’s public safety team is leaning forward with immediate proactive efforts to keep our residents and our visitors safe this season.”

Original report: The man was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the Times-Picayune reported.

The rest of the parade, 23 floats, was canceled.

The fatal accident Wednesday that left Geraldine Carmouche, 58, dead also involved a tandem float.

In response to the latest death, city officials have banned all tandem floats for the remainder of the Carnival season, WWL-TV reported.

This is not the first fatal incident for the Captain S.S. Eddie float.

It struck and killed a rider in 2008, the Times-Picayune reported.

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