By Noelani Mathews | WCTV Eyewitness News

VALDOSTA – On Saturday, holiday cheer filled the streets, while community floats filed into downtown Valdosta.

“They decorated it trying to do something positive for the children because it’s Christmas,” says Randall Lane, Coastal Plain Executive Director. “You’re supposed to do stuff like that.”

He says for the second year, parents of Coastal Plain Head Start registered and designed a float for the parade.

“A child was in the process of standing up when his jacket got caught on a piece of the trailer and it pulled him over the side and he struck the ground,” says Lane.

The parade themed as a ‘Christmas Dream’, quickly turned into a nightmare as the 3-year-old boy was ran over then life-flighted to Shands Hospital in Florida.

“We emphasize safety all year long and we promote it even heavier the day of the parade,” says Robert Crosby, an organizer for the Greater Valdosta Community Christmas Parade.

“There’s nothing to suggest anybody did anything wrong or anything could have been done differently,” says Lt. Adam Bembry, with the Valdosta Police Department. “It was a freak accident.”

Police, City, and school leaders all agree that it was a freak accident.

Coastal Plain says it’s their last due to liability reason.

They say they will not have a float next year, or any year after that.

“If their on school time or even off, we don’t want anything bad to happen to our children,” says Lane. “We want to take care of them.”

The school is offering support and counseling to students and the family during this hard time.

“The main thing is pray for the child and pray for the parents to get through this,” says Lane.

He says the boy is doing better at Shands, and in stable condition.

“The grace of God this will never happen again,” adds Crosby.

The entire community wishing for a quick recovery this holiday season.