</s>Story highlights Student tells local station other band members went under SUV

Six of the injured are middle school students; 6 are high school students

(CNN) Twelve Alabama students were injured Tuesday when a Ford Expedition taking part in a Mardi Gras parade plowed into a marching band ahead of it, officials said.

Three students are in critical condition but stable, Gulf Shores city spokesman Grant Brown said. The victims' ages range from 12 to 17.

Brown said a 73-year-old man was driving the SUV, which accelerated before it hit the Gulf Shores High School marching band. It was not immediately clear why the driver accelerated, but authorities do not believe the crash was intentional.

"Every indication is that it was a tragic accident," police Chief Ed Delmore said.

Emergency crews respond to the scene of the parade, which was canceled.

Senior Jeremy Koonce told CNN affiliate WPMI that he was in the section of woodwind players that was hit, but someone pushed him out of the way.

Read More</s>A vehicle struck members of a high school marching band during the Mardi Gras parade in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Four teenagers were critically injured, and the parade has been canceled.

“A teenage band has just started to march down the parade route when they were struck from behind. The vehicle was a part of the parade,” Grant Brown, spokesman for the city of Gulf Shores, told WKRG.

Eyewitnesses told local media they heard screams and saw a white Ford SUV run over members of the Gulf Shores High School 'Mighty Dolphins' marching band.

The city has identified the driver as a 73-year-old man from nearby Fairhope, Alabama, but has not released his name. Police are still investigating if the vehicle ran over the students intentionally or by accident. Alcohol and drugs were not thought to be involved, Brown said.

The Gulf Shores Police Department posted on Facebook about “a traffic incident with multiple injuries” and asked anyone who may have taken pictures or video of the parade for assistance.

Gulf Shores is a community of around 10,000 residents on the Gulf of Mexico.</s>GULF SHORES, Ala. – Eleven high school students were hurt when the driver of an SUV crashed into a crowd of people at the Mardi Gras parade in Gulf Shores, Alabama, WHNT reports.

Police say all 11 victims are members of the Gulf Shores High School marching band. Police tell WKRG three students were critically hurt. All were taken to local hospitals. In video from the scene, you can see band instruments near the scene, including saxophones, clarinets and drums.

Police plan to hold a news conference at 11:45 a.m. to release more information. They have asked people who have video of the incident to send it to Gulf Shores Police for further investigation, through the email bcowan@gulfshoresal.gov – and specifically asked that it not be posted on social media. Police are trying to get a clear view of what happened.

The Gulf Shores parade has been cancelled. Portions of Highway 59 and surrounding roads are closed at this time.</s>GULF SHORES, Ala. (WKRG) – A tragic start to Mardi Gras Day on the Gulf Coast. A car drove into a crowd of people before the start of the parade in Gulf Shores, Ala. The Gulf Shores High School marching band was in the area of the crash.

A city spokesperson says there were eleven band members injured in the crash. Three of the band members are in critical condition.

Video of the scene shows multiple ambulances with several patients on stretchers. The extent of the injuries is unknown at this time.

“A teenage band has just started to march down the parade route when they were struck from behind. The vehicle was a part of the parade,” says Grant Brown, a spokesperson for the city of Gulf Shores.

The vehicle was a part of the Gulf Shores Parade and was behind the band in the parade route. Sources tell News Five that the driver was an elderly man.

Portions of Highway 59 and surrounding roads are closed at this time.

City officials are on the scene of the crash. The scene in Gulf Shores has turned from carnival revelry to an emergency response.

The Gulf Shores Parade is officially canceled and the parade route is closed at this time. City officials will be holding a press conference at 11:45 a.m. CST.

City officials are asking anyone with cell phone video of the crash to not post the video to social media, but please email to bcowan@gulfshoresal.gov.

Watch News 5 live coverage of Mardi Gras for the latest. You can also watch live on the WKRG Facebook page.</s>GULF SHORES, Ala. (WKRG) – A Mardi Gras celebration got off to a tragic start when a car drove into a crowd of people before the start of a Mardi Gras parade in Gulf Shores, Alabama on Tuesday.

The Gulf Shores High School marching band was in the area of the crash. A city spokesperson says there were eleven band members injured in the crash. Three of the band members are in critical condition.

The vehicle that lost control was a part of the Gulf Shores Parade and was behind the band in the parade route.

“A teenage band had just started to march down the parade route when they were struck from behind. The vehicle was a part of the parade,” said Grant Brown, a spokesperson for the City of Gulf Shores.

City officials are at the scene of the crash.

The scene in Gulf Shores has turned from carnival revelry to an emergency response.

The scene in Gulf Shores has turned from carnival revelry to an emergency response.

The Gulf Shores Parade is officially canceled and the parade route is closed at this time.

WHAT OTHERS ARE CLICKING ON NOW-
• Dr. Phil interview of Florida face-biting suspect to be released today
• Cops: Good Samaritans stop woman from drowning herself, toddler in Lakeland
• Teenager shot to death after young girl sneaks him in house</s>A car drove into a crowd of people at the start of a Mardi Gras parade in Gulf Shores, Alabama, on Tuesday, according to WKRG.

The car was part of the parade and struck a portion of the Gulf Shores High School marching band from behind as they began to move down the parade route, officials told the Mobile TV station.

A city spokesperson said there were 11 members of the Gulf Shores High School band injured in the crash and three are in critical condition.

The parade was canceled and the route remains blocked off.

This is the second incident during this Mardi Gras season that involved a vehicle crashing into a crowd.

At least 28 people were injured when a truck drove into a crowd at New Orleans’ Endymion parade Saturday night. Police said the driver, Neilson Rizzuto, 25, was highly intoxicated and was charged with two counts of first-degree negligent vehicular injuring, one count of hit-and-run driving causing serious injury and one county of reckless operation of a vehicle.</s>Van slams into Gulf Shores band at Mardi Gras parade; 11 injured - KXXV-TV News Channel 25 - Central Texas News and Weather for Waco, Temple, Killeen Eleven Gulf Shores High School Band members were treated on the street and then transported to a local hospital. A vehicle has struck several high school band members marching in the Gulf Shores Mardi Gras parade.

Start the conversation, or Read more at KXXV-TV Waco.</s>A dozen members of a marching band were injured Tuesday after an SUV "accelerated and struck them" at the start of a Mardi Gras parade in Gulf Shores, Alabama, a city spokesman said.

Four of the injured are in critical condition at local hospitals, Gulf Shores spokesman Grant Brown said in a news conference.

The 73-year-old driver is being interviewed by police, who do not believe the act was intentional. There was no indication he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol, Brown said. The man is undergoing testing.

Members of the Gulf Shores High School Band who were struck "are our children," said Brown, who noted that the parade has been a fixture in the community for 39 years.

"This is our community. These are our friends," he said. "And to have this happen — it's horrible."

The Gulf Shores Police Department said the parade was canceled.

The incident comes after 21 people were hospitalized when a car drove into a Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans on Saturday night. Police said the suspected drunk driver took a breath test that showed a blood alcohol level nearly triple the legal limit, The Associated Press reported.</s>At least 11 students have been injured after an SUV ploughed into a school marching band at Mardi Gras in Alabama today.

Three teenagers were critically injured when the vehicle shot through the middle of the Gulf Shores High School Marching Band just before the parade started.

A tearful witness told American news channel WKRG that the vehicle's "wheels were still spinning" when he ran to help the victims - some of which were still stuck under the white Ford Expedition.

He told the network the SUV - which was part of the parade - was driving past McDonald's moments before it careered towards the students at 10am local time (4pm GMT).

Another witness told AL.com an elderly man was driving the vehicle when he suddenly accelerated and hit the teens.

It is unknown at this time whether the crash was an accident or not.

Footage from the scene showed paramedics rush to help victims as they lay among crushed instruments scattered across the road.

Grant Brown, a spokesperson for the city of Gulf Shores told wrbl.com: “A teenage band had just started to march down the parade route when they were struck from behind.

"The vehicle was part of the parade."

The Gulf Shores Parade has been cancelled and the parade route along Highway 59 and surrounding roads have been closed.

Gulf Shores Police are appealing for anyone with footage or pictures of the crash to send it to officers.

City of Gulf Shores released a statement on Facebook saying: "The Gulf Shores Mardi Gras Parade is cancelled due to an injury at the start of the lineup.

"North bound Highway 59 traffic closed north of clubhouse drive. Detour east and west to get to the Highway 59 Bridge."

We'll be bringing you the very latest updates, pictures and video on this breaking news story.

For the latest news and breaking news visit Mirror.co.uk/news.
Twelve people are injured, four critically, after an SUV hits the Gulf Shores High School Band during the Gulf Shores, Alabama, Mardi Gras parade. The vehicle, in the parade behind the band, accelerated when the 73-year-old driver's foot slipped off the brake pedal onto the gas.