Paul Strauss (D), the shadow senator representing the District of Columbia, blamed President Donald Trump's "unnecessary" military parade for causing the death of a 39-year-old woman after she was "dragged for blocks" by a truck carrying an M1-Abrams tank, according to The Daily Mail.
Sierra Nichole Smith was struck at the intersection of New York Avenue and Bladensburg Road in the city's Northeast quadrant on Monday as the tank was being moved to a rail yard in Jessup, Maryland.
According to a police report, the truck was heading east "when the pedestrian ran into the roadway, stumbled, and fell in front of the semi-trailer truck."
The report continued, "The driver of the semi-trailer truck struck the pedestrian, causing her to be pinned under the vehicle. The semi-trailer truck continued traveling eastbound ... the woman was dislodged and was struck by a silver 2007 Chevrolet Suburban traveling behind the semi-trailer truck."
Emergency crews were called to the scene where she was found "alone and not wearing clothing at the time of her death," USA Today reported.
"These tanks did not need to be on local streets and consequently they didn’t need to be hauled away in a big convoy," Strauss told The Daily Mail.
"In some ways it’s a very random accident that could have occurred with another vehicle. But it really begs the question: Why was this necessary to have all this equipment here? We don’t know if enough precautions were taken. It’s not an everyday occurrence that military hardware takes over the city in the way it did."
Strauss called the parade an "unnecessary exercise done for the sole purpose of appeasing the president’s ego on his birthday."
"The details that have been made public are just horrific," Strauss said. "She was dragged for blocks. It’s horrific for so many reasons."
D.C.'s Metropolitan Police Department cleared the truck's driver of culpability. They said no military personnel were involved in the accident.
The White House did not respond to a Daily Mail request for comment.
