Man knocked unconscious by beads at Fat Tuesday parade, unexpected ending
By Lacey Beasley
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MOBILE, Alabama (WALA) — It’s been three days since the Mardi Gras party ended downtown, and as most locals know, every year, some people get injured by violent throws. One man got hit so hard, he blacked out.
But, there is a surprising twist to the story.
“It just came out of the blue,” said Mike Bailey.
Being no stranger to Mobile, he knows to watch out for throws, but he didn’t see this one coming on Fat Tuesday.
“When I looked down at my phone to make sure I had it on record, I blacked out,” he said.
He was hit in the face with a bushel of beads at full force. He compared it to a baseball being thrown at him.
When he came to, paramedics surrounded him. Fortunately, Bailey only had some slight bruising around his eye. He put his story on Facebook, and what happened next really took him by surprise.
“This story turned into a part two,” he said. “The next day out of the blue, I receive a phone call. It was the gentleman who had thrown the beads and hit me in the face, and he sincerely, sincerely apologized for what he had done.”
Bailey was baffled and extremely thankful for that unexpected apology.
“I have so much respect for that organization and that man for doing that, and it just blew me away,” he said.
Even after a doctor’s visit, Bailey said this doesn’t change how much he loves Mardi Gras in Mobile.
“I’ll be more aware, try to anyway,” he said. “I would go back next year. I’ll wear my shield.”
Bailey said there are no hard feelings. In fact, he isn’t naming the organization or the masker. Instead, he wants to use his story as a message to everyone: slow down throws and look alive.
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