Rules changing for NC Christmas parades after child killed in Raleigh
Cary, Durham, Garner, Fayetteville and Clayton announced changes to their upcoming Christmas Parades after 11-year-old Hailey Brooks was hit by a pickup truck and killed during Raleigh's annual event.
Posted — UpdatedThe changes include:
- Candy will not be allowed to be thrown to spectators. To keep spectators from running in the street, parade participants must walk along the sidewalk and hand out candy.
- Floats must arrive to the parade site no later than 12 p.m. The parade begins at 2 p.m.
- All drivers participating in the parade should bring a copy of their latest inspection report if they have one.
- Cary police and firefighters will inspect cars and trailers before the parade.
- No more than 16 people are allowed on any float.
- Participants walking in the parade will not be placed directly in front of floats in the parade lineup.
- Vehicle groups will be placed in front of all floats in the line up.
- All City/Park vehicles participating in the parade, including those pulling floats, will be inspected within seven days prior to the event date.
In Garner, parade organizers told WRAL News they're working with police to update safety protocols.
They'll be giving drivers a sheet of instructions about what to do if they lose control and plan to increase buffer distances between vehicles and people walking in the parade.
In Fayetteville, the Rotary Christmas parade will have longer gaps between groups.
"I tell everyone to please be a little extra patient with us this year because we’re going to intentionally create additional space between entrants," Rotary Club president Brandon Price said.
Price said they're working with the city to make sure emergency crews are in place to respond quickly if something goes wrong.
"We can’t prepare for everything, but we’re trying really hard to prepare for as much as we can," Price said.
The Town of Clayton is working with the Clayton Rotary Club, the parade organizers, to re-emphasize to all parade participants the long-established set of safety measures for the Dec. 10 Clayton Christmas Parade. Additionally, the Town would like the public to be aware of the following:
- The Clayton Police Department will be verifying that vehicles participating in the parade have a current registration and that all drivers have a valid operator’s license and are at least 18 years of age.
- Large groups of walkers will be placed strategically throughout the parade line up.
- Parade participants are not permitted to throw candy, favors, or other materials from floats or vehicles. These items may be passed out by participants walking on the street accompanying the floats.
- Additional Town personnel will be strategically placed along the parade route to help monitor participants in the parade.
For a complete list of parade rules, please visit www.claytonchristmasparade.org/parade-rules.
"As with any special event, safety is the Town’s number one priority," Nathanael Shelton, the town's communication director, said in an email. "Incident action plans are in place and are constantly being adjusted to ensure the safest environment possible."
Hailey Brooks was dancing in Saturday's parade with CC & Company Dance Complex. She was struck and killed by an out-of-control pickup truck that lost its brakes.
Virginia court records show the driver, 20-year-old Landen Christopher Glass, had a number of non-moving violation tickets on his record, including four tickets for failure to have a vehicle inspected, with the most recent on Oct. 30.
During the Oct. 30 ticket, WRAL Investigates found Glass was driving the GMC Denali that would lurch out of control on Saturday.
Other tickets included improper exhaust systems and no marker lights. The online records do not specify what vehicle Glass received these tickets for.
After the crash Saturday, the Raleigh Police Department arrested and charged Glass with misdemeanor death by motor vehicle, careless and reckless, improper equipment, unsafe movement and carrying a firearm in a parade.
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