Dallas Woman Visiting Nice Copes With Two Deadly Attacks In One Week

Just one week after gunfire erupted in her home area of Dallas, Texas, claiming the lives of five police officers, Kristen Crouch found herself taking cover from yet another deadly attack on the other side of the world.

Crouch left Dallas to visit Nice, France, for a wedding and was there when a large truck crashed through a huge crowd of people celebrating Bastille Day in the street on Thursday night, leaving a trail of bodies in its path.

At least 84 people were killed and scores injured, including at least 50 children.

The north Texas resident had been out with friends at a nearby apartment that night to celebrate the holiday. On the way back to her hotel, Crouch heard two loud popping noises.

“I thought it was fireworks,” she recalled in an interview with CBS News. “I didn’t think anything of it, but all of a sudden, all these people were running in the opposite direction and screaming.”

Crouch and her friends immediately ran through a flurry of ambulances back to the apartment where they had been partying, which became flooded with people seeking shelter.

“It’s very surreal. I think we’re all in shock,” she said. “We later learned that the accident happened right outside of our hotel.” 

Officials have since confirmed that the tragedy was not an accident but an act of terrorism carried out by 31-year-old Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, a French-Tunisian man known to police, who shot him dead. No group has claimed responsibility for his actions.

While Crouch said she is thankful to have escaped unharmed, both in the Dallas shootings and the Nice truck attack, the incidents left her feeling dejected.

“It’s really sad when you’ve been marked ‘safe’ twice on Facebook in the last week,” she said. “We shouldn’t live in a world like that.”

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