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Officer Mike Ibarra was directing traffic near the intersection of Main Street and Dempsey Place when the elderly driver lost control of his vehicle – which reportedly bore a Tuckahoe-Eastchester Lions Club banner – and came barreling down the street.
Ibarra is a sergeant major in the Army Reserve who served tours overseas has earned several awards and citations for his service. He has served as a merit badge counselor with the Boy Scouts and as assistant scoutmaster to Eastchester’s Troop 353. At last year’s Columbus Day celebrations, he was awarded the Anthony Maltese Humanitarian Award.
According to some reports, Ibarra was injured saving a child who walked away unharmed. The officer was treated for a head injury at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, but has been released and is expected to fully recover.
Each year, the parade kicks off at the Immaculate Conception Church parking lot, traveling up Main Street and onto Route 22 before ending at the grounds of Lake Isle Country Club. This year, parade organizers were forced to alter that route, making a slight detour due to the accident.
The police are still investigating the circumstances that caused the driver to lose control of his vehicle on Dempsey Place, where he also struck several parked cars. So far, no charges have been filed in relation to the accident.
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