Toronto parade safety studied

Float runs over teen, killing him

TORONTO — Organizers of Toronto’s Caribbean Carnival say they will scrutinize parade safety in their annual review, following the death of a young man on the weekend.

“We had a three-hour meeting this morning,” said organizer Chris Alexander on Monday.

Alexander said festival personnel will undertake an extensive review of the three-week carnival, as is standard every year.

But he said added safety measures on the parade route — such as barriers or side guards on the floats — will be looked at seriously.

The discussion comes amid a police investigation into the death of an 18-year-old man at the parade.

Toronto police said Rueshad Grant was standing beside a parade float on Saturday night when he was run over by the vehicle.

Officials examined a video posted online that appears to show the immediate aftermath of the incident, with spectators yelling for the float to stop as it slowly starts moving after a brief pause.

Grant was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Parade organizers issued a statement expressing their “heartfelt sympathies” to those who knew the young man.

“We are deeply saddened by this loss,” spokeswoman Denise Herrera-Jackson said.

Alexander said the accident isn’t representative of the festival, which is about “fun and family.”