Pennsylvania woman working in New Orleans describes aftermath of Bourbon Street attack
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A woman from Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, was working as a bartender in New Orleans blocks away from where the deadly truck attack happened on Bourbon Street early on Wednesday.
Authorities said Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old U.S.-born citizen from Texas, plowed his truck into a crowd of New Year's Day revelers, killing at least 14 people and injuring dozens more.
Allison Brownlee is from Derry, Westmoreland County. She was working as a bartender at the Troubadour bar on New Year's Eve three blocks away from where the attack happened at about 3:15 a.m.
"The party ended around like 2 (a.m.), everyone was having a great time," Brownlee said.
She said she got off around 3 a.m. and considered heading to Bourbon Street with her fiance to celebrate.
"We're two blocks from Bourbon," Brownlee said. "We could easily go down, have a drink and then leave. He was like, 'No, I'm tired.' Thankfully, he was tired. He wanted to go home."
She said they just missed the chaos.
"It's just crazy to think about that he drove right past all the police barricades and everything and got down there," Brownlee said.
Now, law enforcement in New Orleans is ramping up security protocols as Bourbon Street remains shut down.
"I definitely think police presence has almost quadrupled," Brownlee said. "There are cop cars on like every corner. So that makes me feel a little bit safer."
Brownlee, who moved to New Orleans about five months ago, was back to work on New Year's Day and again for Thursday's Sugar Bowl between Notre Dame and Georgia.
"When I went into work, there was a line at the front desk," she said. "So, it was either half the people were trying to get an extra room to stay the next night to make the game, or half the people were leaving."
"The streets were empty," she added. "Even hotel guests were like we went to go walk around and there's no one."
Pennsylvania man survives New Orleans Bourbon Street attack
A man from Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, was among those injured on Wednesday.
Jeremi Sensky broke his legs in the attack. The 51-year-old has been paralyzed and in a wheelchair since 1999.
His family says they were celebrating the New Year when the suspect rammed his truck through the barriers and onto the sidewalk of Bourbon Street.
His daughter said in a Facebook post that Sensky wasn't able to get out of the street and was directly hit and thrown from his chair.
His family said he is now awake and recovering after a successful surgery.
