Police say James L Crump, 50, of Anchorage, died after he was struck by a 1971 Triumph Stag convertible, which was carrying grand marshal of the Pridefest Parade Doug Frank.
The driver of the vehicle, Edith Baily, 70, of Eagle River and Frank were unharmed.
Police officers who were nearby at the time of the accident attempted to revive Crump using CPR, but he was declared deceased at the scene, according to an Anchorage Police press release.
"As I understand, the vehicle hit him and continued on," said Anchorage Police Department spokesperson Lt. Dave Parker. "I don't know if there was a mechanical problem or not."
Parade organizers promptly canceled the parade and directed parade goers to the Delaney Park Strip, where festivities continued in a subdued manner.
"We just came out to see the parade and were waiting for it to start," said spectator Suzi Barrett. "It was a really happy mood, and suddenly it came to a halt."
The accident occurred near the start of the parade route, on West 6th Avenue between D and E streets.
Paula James said she was taking pictures when the accident occurred.
"Everybody was happy and videotaping, like I said, but then we heard a crunch and somebody yell, 'Help!'" James said.
Crump was a registered nurse who worked for the Municipality of Anchorage Department of Health and Human Services.
Police are continuing to investigate the accident.
"They will do all the measurements and take photographs for evidentiary purposes," Parker said. "They have to check the mechanics of the vehicle to determine if the vehicle was functioning, and then they take witness statements and pull all of that together. So it could take us a couple of weeks until there's a final determination of what exactly happened."
There was no immediate indication that alcohol was involved in the accident.
Police are asking the public for assistance with any video taken at the accident scene. If you have video, please submit it to APD.
Contact Christine Kim at ckim@ktuu.com
