82°
Dozens of injuries and arrests occurred during the annual Go Topless Jeep Weekend at Crystal Beach on the Bolivar Peninsula, according to reports from Houston-based media outlets.
Among the injuries during the expectedly crowded springtime event were that to a Galveston County Sheriff's Office (GCSO) deputy who was allegedly struck by a vehicle driven by a beachgoer.
According to GCSO officials, Houston NBC affiliate KPRC reported, 22-year-old Darius Danzell Gilbert hit Sergeant John Hamm on Sunday morning (May 22).
Authorities told the station that the motorist was driving while intoxicated at the time of the incident.
Galveston County Sheriff Henry Trouchesset said that Hamm was treated for two broken legs, a broken arm and head injuries at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston.
Houston ABC affiliate KTRK reported that Go Topless Jeep Weekend drew approximately 40,000 people, which placed a strain on emergency services.
According to the station, 38 people sustained injuries during the event, with eight airlifted from the area.
At least two of these injuries were considered major traumas, per KTRK.
Courtney Thompson, who has attended the event five times, told Houston CBS affiliate KHOU that the beach was packed with people all around her.
"It was pretty crazy. I mean, there was people everywhere,” Thompson said, KHOU reported.
She added that the arrest figures weren't a surprise.
"One guy told me that he saw a guy get in a fight right in front of him and he was bleeding on the ground," Thompson told the station.