What we know about the Raleigh Christmas Parade float accident that left 1 dead
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Raleigh Christmas Parade Coverage
On Nov. 19, 2022, the driver of a truck towing a float in the Raleigh Christmas Parade apparently lost control of the vehicle. A young girl died after she was struck. This is ongoing coverage by The News & Observer.
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Raleigh police say they are still investigating after an 11-year-old girl was struck and killed Saturday morning when the driver of a truck towing a float in the Raleigh Christmas Parade lost control of the vehicle.
The truck’s driver now faces several charges.
Landen Glass, 20, was initially charged with misdemeanor death by motor vehicle, careless and reckless driving, improper equipment, unsafe movement and carrying a firearm in a parade.
On March 22, Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman announced that Glass would no longer be charged with misdemeanor death by motor vehicle, and instead would face a more severe charge: involuntary manslaughter, a Class F felony.
Here’s what we know.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
What happened?
Just after 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 19, shortly after the start of the Raleigh Christmas Parade, Glass, the driver of one of two pick-up trucks towing floats from the CC & Company Dance Complex, apparently lost control of the vehicle.
Aerial video captured by ABC11, The News & Observer’s newsgathering partner, showed the crowd of dancers parting as the truck rode through, pulling a float carrying younger members of the troupe. That section of the parade route, near the intersection of Hillsborough Street and Boylan Avenue, is at a slight downhill decline.
ABC11, which was broadcasting the parade live, reported the driver was honking his horn and yelling for people to get out of the way.
The truck struck 11-year-old Hailey Brooks “at a low rate of speed.” She was hospitalized and died from her injuries, according to Raleigh police.
Where did the incident occur?
Raleigh Police said in a news release that the driver of the truck “lost control near the intersection of Hillsborough Street at Boylan Avenue.”
That is about one block from the parade route’s starting point at the intersection of Hillsborough Street and St. Mary’s Street.
The truck was stopped in the next block of Hillsborough Street, near Char Grill restaurant.
How was the truck stopped?
Dancers and other bystanders rushed after the truck after it initially drove through the troupe, and ABC11 video from the ground showed a handful of people, including several police officers, jumping in front of the vehicle and stopping it by hand.
What kind of truck was it?
The truck was a white GMC pickup with a Denali trim package and several after-market modifications.
After inspecting the truck and attached float at the scene throughout the day Saturday, investigators towed it from the street just after sunset.
Glass’ arrest warrant following the incident cited him for improper brakes that “were inadequate to control the movement of and stop the vehicle.” That confirms what spectators on the scene said about possible brake failure.
The true bill of indictment from a grand jury added: “The defendant unlawfully and wiIIfuIIy did drive a vehicle on Hillsborough Street, Raleigh, NC, highway, without decreasing his speed as necessary to avoid colliding with a person, operating vehicle that was equipped with brakes that were inadequate to control the movement of and to stop the vehicle, having improper equipment without inspection,” the indictment says.
“This violation was the proximate cause of death,” the indictment said.
Who was the victim?
Hailey Kaye Brooks, 11, was a member of the CC & Co. troupe who was dancing in the parade.
Trey and April Brooks, her parents, released a statement Nov. 22, about their daughter.
“Hailey’s tragic death has left our family heartbroken and in shock. She had a kind and humble heart that was always focused on caring for the needs of those around her. Even in her final hours, Hailey showed her loving and giving spirit to the younger children who were with her in the parade.”
An online fundraiser was created on behalf of Hailey’s family to support her family and “allow them to establish a non-profit organization in Hailey’s honor with the goal of carrying out her legacy,” the GoFundMe page states.
On March 29, April and Trey Brooks, Hailey’s parents, announced the creation of “Shine Like Hailey,” a foundation created in her honor.
“We just want to let people know who Hailey was,” Trey Brooks said at the Wake County courthouse.
In the aftermath of Hailey’s death, the Brooks family received more than $100,000 in donations.
“The hope is that this campaign will generate enough funds to not only support the family, but also allow them to establish a non-profit organization in Hailey’s honor with the goal of carrying out her legacy,” the GoFundMe description reads.
Although the mission and aim of the foundation have not been released yet, Trey Brooks said he hopes this tragedy can help create “meaningful change” in regard to safety protocols at parades. Most importantly, he said, this foundation was created to remember and honor his daughter.
To donate to the Brooks family, go to www.gofundme.com/f/38wzr-hailey-brooks.
Who was the driver?
Raleigh police charged the driver, Glass, of Goode, Va., with misdemeanor death by motor vehicle, careless and reckless driving, improper equipment, unsafe movement and carrying a firearm in a parade.
Two other people were in the vehicle during the incident, whom the police have not identified.
In a statement, the department said Glass is cooperating with the investigation. Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman confirmed that Glass has been released on a $4,000 bond and is scheduled to return to court on Jan. 26, 2023.
On March 22, Wake County District Attorney Freeman announced that Glass would face a more severe charge: involuntary manslaughter, a Class F felony.
The involuntary manslaughter charge is a Class F felony with a maximum sentence of three years, but Freeman said the penalty is based on prior record.
If convicted on the initial charges, Glass would face a maximum sentence of one year in jail, a 30-day suspension of his driver’s license, up to a $750 fine and a lasting mark on his driving record.
Glass — who was a member of the CC & Co. dance troupe, competing and winning with them in national competitions as recently as 2018 — was ticketed by Virginia authorities on at least five separate dates since 2021. In that less than two-year period, Virginia court records show, Glass was ticketed four times for failing to have his vehicle inspected.
The remainder of the 17 infractions — the most recent from Oct. 30 — included violations for having an improper exhaust system and other equipment issues.
According to his arrest warrant, he was assigned “driver improvement” training as a result of tickets in early 2021. The warrant says he has no criminal or traffic violation history in North Carolina.
Glass told police he was employed at a mechanic shop, where he works on car safety systems, the warrant says.
Was anyone else hurt?
Raleigh police say no one else participating or watching the parade was injured.
How did city and parade officials react?
Organizers of the Raleigh Christmas Parade canceled the event about 30 minutes after the incident.
Shop Local Raleigh, which runs the parade, asked for prayers and for the public to “please refrain from any and all judgment until a full investigation is completed.”
“Today started with such joy,” Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin said. “The parade route was packed with smiling kids and it made my heart so happy to see. Now we are all devastated by the news of this tragic accident and praying for the victim and her family. It is heartbreaking.”
Gov. Roy Cooper later tweeted that he and his wife, Kristin, were “devastated about the tragedy.”
“In a joyous season on what should be a happy day, we instead mourn for this family and their friends as we keep them in our prayers,” Cooper wrote.
Congresswoman Deborah Ross, who represents Raleigh, also wrote in several tweets that she was praying for the victim.
“My heart goes out to the family of the young dancer whose life was cut short much too soon,” Ross wrote.
U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis wrote Saturday night that he and his wife Susan were “deeply saddened” by the girl’s death.
“Our prayers are with her family and the CC & Company Dance Complex,” Tillis said in a tweet.
What’s the CC & Company Dance Complex?
A fixture of the Raleigh Christmas Parade, the CC & Company Dance Complex is a Raleigh-based dance training school for students aged 2 to adult that has been in operation for nearly two decades.
Through a spokesperson, owner Christy Curtis said in a statement that she and her staff were “devastated.”
“Our dance family is a close-knit group and today our hearts are broken,” Curtis wrote. “We are working closely with authorities as they determine what happened and why.”
Curtis was an early dance teacher of Ariana DeBose, who won an Academy Award for her performance in “West Side Story.”
On Instagram Sunday, DeBose wrote that she was heartbroken over the incident and is “surrounding the families involved with love and compassion.”
“I ask the Raleigh community to hold space for these good people whose lives will never be the same,” DeBose posted.
In a message on the school’s Facebook and Instagram pages Saturday, the staff wrote that they were still in shock.
“Please pray for our dance families, especially for those directly affected. And please, refrain from judgment regarding what happened until we know more and the authorities have finished their investigation,” the message read. “What we do know is that our hearts our broken and we must find ways to help each other through this.”
This story was originally published November 20, 2022 at 9:54 AM.
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