The NOPD is investigating a traffic fatality that occurred this evening (February 19, 2020) and resulted in the death of an adult female.
At about 9:00 p.m., NOPD officers responded to a call of an adult female having been struck by a parade float at at the intersection of Magazine and Valence streets during the Krewe of Nyx parade. The victim was declared dead at the scene.
Float #20 will be the final float of the parade. Floats that were behind the incident location in the parade have not been allowed to continue and will be escorted by police to the Morial Convention Center. Non-float elements of the parade were allowed to detour around the scene and continue on the parade route, if they chose to do so.
No further details are available at this time. The Orleans Parish Coroner's Office will determine official cause of death and release the victim's name, upon completion of autopsy and notification of family.
NOPD Traffic Fatality Investigator Michael Baldassaro is in charge of the ongoing investigation and can be reached at 504-658-6208 with any additional information.