Minivan crashes into crowd at Kipona Festival in Harrisburg, injuring three

Three people were injured after a red minivan drove through a barrier and struck attendees at the Kipona Festival in Harrisburg on Monday, September 1. According to city spokesperson Mischelle Moyer, the victims include a woman in a wheelchair, a child, and a Harrisburg public works employee.

Lottie Beauverd, a vendor at the festival who witnessed the incident said to abc27, “This car came flying down through here fast. Not yelling or anything, but just flying down through this.”

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The injured individuals were transported to a local hospital, where they are reported to be in fair condition. Their identities have not yet been released.

Harrisburg police said the woman driving the minivan was apprehended within one minute of the incident. The driver reportedly continued for six blocks, hitting multiple objects, before stopping. She is currently being questioned by investigators.

The crash occurred on North Front Street in Harrisburg. Police have cordoned off the area with crime scene tape from State Street to Walnut Street. Harrisburg Mayor Wanda Williams was present at the scene, according to Moyer.

What is the Kipona Festival?

The Labor Day festival, which was started as a tribute to the Susquehanna River, flowing through Pennsylvania, after the river faced problems, the mayor of that time, Vance McCormick, advocated for river-based conservation themed celebrations, from an initiative meant to respect the Native American culture intertwined with the river, again the ‘ki-po-na’, meaning, ‘on sparkling water,’ to some Native Americans. The name was suggested by Dr. Hugh Hamilton, of the Pennsylvania Federation of Historical Societies.

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The annual festival celebrates ‘The Festival of India’, A Native American Pow-Wow (a circular dance-off), canoe races, and fireworks.