A ten-foot inflatable pumpkin broke loose from a yard in downtown Dubuque, Iowa, bounced off several parked cars and rolled straight into traffic on Main Street, forcing a startled driver to swerve out of its path. The oversized Halloween decoration made its unscheduled trip through downtown on Tuesday afternoon, turning a routine drive into a dodge-the-gourd moment caught by a nearby traffic camera.
Driver Pam McCarron was on her way to a work meeting when the giant pumpkin rolled into her lane, according to wengradio.com, which reported that the inflatable escaped its yard before bumping parked cars and tumbling onto Main Street. McCarron said the pumpkin's sheer size left her blind to anything that might be coming from the other direction. “I couldn’t see around it to know if there was anything on the other side,” she said, according to kcrg.com.
Police Say No Oncoming Traffic Made the Difference
Dubuque Police Lt. Luke Bock said that, fortunately, there was no oncoming traffic at the time the pumpkin entered the roadway, according to the same kcrg.com report. Still, Bock used the incident to remind residents that decorations left unsecured can create real hazards once the wind picks up. Improperly grounded inflatables and other yard displays can obstruct roadways, cause drivers to swerve unexpectedly, or even strike pedestrians, he said.
“Secure them down to your yard,” Bock said, underscoring his message to homeowners setting up Halloween displays this season. The station's report framed his comment as a direct appeal to Dubuque residents to stake down inflatables firmly rather than leave them loosely anchored against gusty fall weather.
Some Residents Are Ditching Inflatables Altogether
The runaway pumpkin wasn't exactly a surprise to everyone decorating for the season. Dubuque resident Jennifer Edwards said she has already given up on inflatables for her own Halloween display, citing just how finicky the giant decorations can be to keep upright. “Inflatables are really hard to keep staked,” she said, per the same kcrg.com account, pointing to the constant battle of balancing a towering, air-filled pumpkin or ghost against the elements.
Traffic-camera video of the pumpkin's brief joyride surfaced Thursday morning, giving Dubuque residents a clear look at just how far the inflatable traveled before it was wrangled back under control. The footage showed the pumpkin bumping its way past parked cars before drifting into the open lane where McCarron was driving.
No information has been confirmed about whether the parked cars sustained damage, whether anyone was cited over the incident, or whether the pumpkin's owner has been identified. For now, Dubuque police are simply urging homeowners to double-check their stakes before the next round of fall wind rolls through town.
