The Tour de France is no stranger to accidents, but authorities find themselves investigating a different kind of incident today as they search for a woman who caused one of the biggest pile-ups in the race’s history.
A fan with a cardboard sign leaned out in front of the riders on Saturday while mugging for a camera shot. However, the woman got way too close to German rider Tony Martin who collided with her sign and was sent crashing to the ground. Martin’s fall was only the beginning, however, as other riders in the tightly-packed group began falling while trying to avoid him.
The woman immediately fled the scene. Three riders were forced to withdraw from the race after the crash.
The woman’s attempt to cheer on her grandparents – “Allez Opi Omi” translates to “Go Grandpa-Grandma” – has now triggered a major investigation.
French police are looking for the woman who they say caused, “unintentional injuries by manifestly deliberate violation of an obligation of safety or prudence.”