Everyone was relieved that the big balloons were allowed to fly during Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade—they just had to fly at about half the normal height, because of wind concerns. Which meant some balloon handlers had to keep picking their balloons up off the ground!
PIX 11 has footage of the Ronald McDonald balloon handlers carrying Ronald's ice skates. The NY Times reports, "To combat the wind, parade marshals early on ordered the balloons to be flown low, almost at head height. Helium-filled claws scraped the pavement at times, only to be scooped up by handlers who then lifted the [Toothless the] dragon’s paws in their arms. "
The low-flying Spider-Man's left arm was punctured by a tree at near the very start of the parade at 77th Street and Central Park. Don't worry, Spidey made it down just fine. Here are some videos of the balloons and revelry:
Overall, no arrests were reported (the 12-year-old girl who jumped the barricade to protest the Sea World float was just asked to go back into the pen). No spectators were injured either, but one parade participant was: A Buzz Lightyear balloon handler's foot was run over by someone driving a golf cart accompanying the balloon. Keri O’Connell told The Post that her right foot was run over at West 75th Street, "It hit me from behind... I was holding the balloon. I was in front of the of the car. All of a sudden, I was pulled down and the car was on my foot. I was like `Get it off, get it off, get it off!’"
O'Connell sat in the cart while she waited for the ambulance—she said the driver "did not look at me. He did not speak to me. He did not ask me how I was. He did not apologize." She told the Daily News that she may have a hairline fracture in her foot, "I’ve definitely been better. They gave me strong meds at the hospital — I’m in a lot of pain."
