Some of the pedestrians at the parade in New Iberia, La., were critically hurt, according to the authorities, who said the driver was intoxicated.

 

The downtown in New Iberia, La., features a movie marquee and storefronts.

The downtown in New Iberia, La., in 2023. The driver of a vehicle who plowed into a crowd of people at a parade was taken into custody on Saturday, officials said.Credit…Emily Kask for The New York Times

At least 15 people were injured, some critically, after an intoxicated driver plowed his vehicle into people at a parade during a festival in New Iberia, La., on Saturday afternoon, the authorities said.

The driver of the vehicle, identified on Saturday evening as Todd Landry, 57, of Jeanerette, La., was taken into custody in connection with the crash, the Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office said on social media. The crash did not appear to be intentional, the office said.

The crash happened around 2:30 p.m. on Saturday near the grounds of the Louisiana Lao New Year Festival, a three-day new year celebration hosted by a Buddhist temple in New Iberia, organizers said on social media.

Mr. Landry’s vehicle struck multiple pedestrians during the parade, Louisiana State Police said on social media. After the crash, he showed signs of impairment and later registered a blood alcohol content of 0.137 percent, police said. The legal limit in Louisiana is 0.08 percent.

Mr. Landry was booked into the Iberia Parish Jail and charged with 18 counts of first-degree negligent injuring, the police said. He also faces charges of driving while impaired, careless operation of a vehicle and carrying an open container.

Festival organizers said they were “profoundly saddened” by news of the crash.

Fifteen people were taken to a hospital, according to a spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office. It was not immediately clear how many people were critically injured.

The sheriff’s office said that some of the injuries “are believed to be serious.” It described those injured as “pedestrians” but it not clear if they were participants in the parade or spectators.

Some of the injured were brought to Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Center in Lafayette, which is about 20 miles northwest of New Iberia. Patricia Thompson, a spokeswoman for the center, said she could not say how many patients were brought or describe their conditions “as the situation remains dynamic.”

The festival said that remaining music programs scheduled for Saturday would be canceled. Organizers plan to reopen the religious services of the festival on Sunday if there are adequate security resources.

Videos of the parade shared by the festival on social media showed floats and dancers moving down a crowded street. The parade was scheduled to begin at noon on Saturday, with a concert and market slated for later in the evening.

It was also not immediately known what led up to the crash. The sheriff’s office is investigating.

At least 10 ambulances responded, Acadian Ambulance said on social media. Eleven people were transported by ground transportation and two by air, it said in a separate post.

The area is home to Lanexang Village, a community of several hundred Laotian people. Wat Thammarattanaram, the Buddhist temple that organizes the festival, serves as a cultural and religious center for Laotians in southern Louisiana.

Lao New Year is celebrated with offerings to Buddha statues, dancing, making positive wishes for each other and the selection of a Lao New Year Princess, according to the Lao Advancement Organization of America, a nonprofit in Minneapolis.