Two hurt by errant Macy's balloon

NEW YORK, Nov. 24 (UPI) -- The 79th Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade stepped off as scheduled Thursday after concern windy weather would ground the famous balloons.

A straying M&M balloon, possibly whipped by the wind, hit a lamp post at Times Square, sending shattered glass to the ground and two people to the hospital, WABC, New York, said. Their condition was not known.

Another M&M balloon struck WABC's "Good Morning America" studio, also in Times Square.

It didn't rain on Macy's parade, Scooby Doo, Chicken Little, SpongeBob SquarePants and their fellow balloons soared overhead to the delight of the throngs of children lining the streets.

Weather has bungled balloons in the past, CNN said, most notably in 1997 when heavy winds sent The Cat in the Hat balloon into a lamppost that toppled onto four people. One woman suffered permanent brain damage.

Since then, Macy's has implemented improved training for the approximately 1,700 people who help handle and direct the massive balloons.