Two people hit by a car during a religious celebration in New Bedford
By: Chloe Leshner
cleshner@abc6.com
@ChloeLeshner
NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (WLNE) — Two people were hit by a car when it drove through a crowd of people parading down the street for a religious celebration. Now those church-goers are thanking a good Samaritan for springing into action.
Witnesses tell ABC 6 News this could’ve been so much worse. Two people were hit by that car during a church procession, they say even more could have been hit, were it not for that man.
The chaos ended outside of a home on the corner of Acushnet Avenue and Perry Street, a driver barreling through a crowd of people and only stopping when she hit the house.
"I had to run because they were coming right at me and my wife," says Rui Dutra. He was walking in a church procession with more than 100 other people when it happened.
"I saw two ladies get hit and get knocked to the ground, but the car didn’t run them over it just kind of knocked them to the ground," he says.
The group started walking from St. Joseph & St. Therese Parish, parading just a few blocks down Acushnet Avenue for the Feast of the Holy Ghost celebration.
"There were children and there were strollers with babies in them and elderly people, just everyone, families who were together to celebrate this wonderful event," says Maria Giesta, the City Councilor for Ward 2 who witnessed it all.
Many of those people able to continue the celebration into the evening because of a man nearby who sprung into action.
"He was across the street in front of the park, he was the one who ran over to her car and pulled the key out of the ignition," says Giesta.
Other witnesses say it looked like he was leading the car toward the house to stop it. The driver apparently unable to control what was happening.
"I saw her face and she looked like she was having a seizure or something was going on with her," says Giesta.
One of the women who was hit was brought to the hospital. No word yet on her condition or the condition of the driver.
New Bedford Police are expected to give an update.
(C) WLNE/ABC 6 2018
