Jan 1, 2009 2:09 pm US/Pacific
Rose Parade Spectators Treated For Heat Exhaustion
PASADENA, Calif.
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A float from the Rose Parade on Jan. 1, 2009.
CBS
Thirty people were hospitalized from injuries suffered during Thursday's Rose Parade authorities said. Most were marching band members wearing heavy winter uniforms and collapsed after marching two hours in the hot Pasadena sun, a fire official said.
Seventy-degree temperatures took their toll during the 3-1/2 mile march,
said Pasadena fire spokesperson Lisa Derderian. "Some from out of the state may be not acclimated to Southern California weather. "Were treating a lot of band members at the end of the parade," she said.
The unusual New Year's Day problem were among a few mishaps during the tradition, which saw the vast majority of the hundreds of thousands of spectators and participants enjoy perfect weather.
Some of the overheated people suffered seizures or fainted.
Paramedics also treated a few people who passed out before the parade started, including some spectators who overdid self-medication to ward off the 44-degree chill at dawn.
A total of 49 medical calls were answered by paramedics from various
cities stationed to Pasadena.
Another three people were hurt in car versus pedestrian crashes, but none were badly hurt, Dederian said.
As for the parade, a float called "Entertaining Expedition" and featuring towering, feathery trees won the Sweepstakes Trophy this year.
That float was sponsored by perennial entrant Rain Bird Corporation, a manufacturer of lawn sprinklers.
The float showcased yellow, leafy trees in a fantasy forest.
One small mishap marred the beginning of the parade, when the three-story-high American Honda float snapped a pair of cables stretched across Colorado Boulevard at Fair Oaks Boulevard in Old Town Pasadena.
KNX News radio reporter Andrew Mollenbeck was broadcasting a live news report in Old Pasadena and saw the wires hit by a three-story high robot and snap.
"Oh my goodness, it went right through a cable," he exclaimed on the air.
The reporter said the cables did not appear to be electrical wires, but had been stretched across the street for banners of some sort.
He said they landed on a sidewalk in a crowd, but did not apparently hurt anyone.
Pasadena police called the incident minor.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
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