There were at least four injuries overall, including another serious head wound from the same incident. A Cat in the Hat balloon collided with a lamppost, knocking off its arm and sending a spectator into a month-long coma.
The 71st Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was held on November 27, 1997, under high winds, which led to multiple mishaps involving the parade's signature balloons.
The corner of 72nd Street and Central Park West (photographed in 2008), site of the near-fatal lamppost collision
