Organizers of the Caribbean Carnival offered their condolences to family and friends of 18-year-old Rueshad Grant who was standing beside a carnival float and then was drawn under the float Saturday evening.

Originally it was thought Grant fell off the float, but a police statement Sunday night said he was actually beside the float at the time of the accident.

The carnival organizers released a statement Sunday on behalf of the organizers, volunteers and revellers.

“We are deeply saddened by this loss,” said Denise Herrera-Jackson, CEO of the festival management committee. “The Toronto police are conducting a full and thorough investigation and we will assist them in any way we can.”

Scotiabank also released a statement of sympathy on behalf of the bank and its employees.

Paramedics said the incident happened just before 9 p.m. in the Lake Shore Blvd. W. and Dowling Ave. area. The teen was rushed to a trauma centre with life-threatening injuries and later died.

A YouTube video appears to show the aftermath of the incident. A dense crowd surrounds a blue tractor trailer with banners displaying Foot Locker and Starter logos. The truck can be heard honking and an announcer with a microphone says, “Please stop the truck.”

The truck moves forward slowly soon after and the announcer and the crowd begin to yell at the driver to stop. The truck comes to a halt and the driver

The Grand Parade ended at 6 p.m. but by 11 p.m., parade paraphernalia still littered Lake Shore Blvd. and trucks were pulled to the side of the street awaiting the end of the police investigation.

With files from Robin Levinson