An 84-year-old man accidentally reversed his car into a fireworks stand in the parking lot of the Festus Walmart Supercenter, injuring five individuals, including a 6-year-old boy and his parents. The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported that the vehicle sideswiped another car and hit a barrier before impacting the tent. Among the victims, the father, 41, was listed in critical condition with a serious head injury while his son sustained road rash but was able to crawl out from under the vehicle on his own. The mother's injuries were also detailed, according to FOX 2.
Before the crash, Festus Police had been completing a report for a previous minor fender-bender involving the elderly driver, state troopers revealed to First Alert 4. After that incident, the driver began to back out, lost control, and proceeded to quickly reverse into the fireworks stand, trapping the adult and child beneath the vehicle. The other victims, two adults, were listed in moderate condition, with expectations to survive the injuries sustained during the accident.
According to KSDK, the fireworks tent is contracted by Bryan Smith, a local pastor, from Jake's Fireworks out of Kansas City. Describing the sequence of the crash, Smith said, "The driver of the van backed into a burgundy car, hit some concrete pillars and then crashed into our fireworks tent."
The driver of the vehicle and his 83-year-old wife experienced no injuries in the collision. Meanwhile, officials emphasized they do not believe the driver was impaired and have not filed any charges relating to the crash. Assistance was quick to arrive at the scene with emergency services responding to the June 3rd incident and transporting the injured to nearby St. Louis-area hospitals. Among the victims, two were released after receiving medical treatment.
