Saturday, November 19th, 2022, an unexpected devastation struck the community of Raleigh, North Carolina. For what was the town’s 78th annual Christmas parade quickly turned into a moment of terror rather than a holiday celebration, as a young girl dancing in the parade was ran over by a pick-up truck and later died.  

The young dancer was 11-year-old Hailey Brooks. During the parade, Brooks was dancing in front of her dance studio’s float alongside her teammates. A truck suddenly lost control, striking Brooks. The driver of the vehicle was identified as 20-year-old Landon C. Glass. Megan Barghout, another dancer under the same studio as Brooks, quoted that “The truck was blowing its horn. We didn’t know if we were supposed to move because the truck was supposed to be behind us, but it kept on getting closer. We all got pushed out of the way and it kept going down the hill.” With more than 65,000 people attending, numerous people watched the horrifying moment occur. A photojournalist named Al Currie was recording the parade and witnessed the accident while doing so. “The driver had his windows down when he was coming past me. He was honking, yelling, and saying he couldn’t stop.” Stated Currie. “Everyone was yelling to stop, stop, stop over and over again.” To stop the truck, it was said it took multiple parade staff, civilians, and several Raleigh police officers – though the desperate attempts were far too late for Brooks.  

CC & Co. Dance Complex, the dance studio Brooks took part in, released the following statement regarding the incident. “We’re still in shock as we write these words to you. This morning’s events have devastated us. We also know many of our young ones witnessed this tragedy and that is hard to fathom as well … We’ve always considered it an honor to nurture our students while they learn to express themselves through dance. We never expected to experience a day like today, and the only thing getting us through is the tremendous love and support we’ve seen expressed among our CC & Co. Dance family.” The Mayor of Raleigh, Mary-Ann Baldwin, released a statement as well. “Today started off with such joy,” Mayor Baldwin wrote. “The Raleigh Christmas Parade brings smiles to so many faces. My heart was so full. And now it aches for the young girl hit in a tragic accident on the parade route. Praying for her, her family, and our community.”  

As of recently, following the events, a GoFundMe has been created to help the family of young Brooks. Erika Parker, the organizer behind the fundraiser, said it’s not only to help her family through this time but to “allow them to establish a non-profit organization in Hailey’s honor with the goal of carrying out her legacy. The GoFundMe has already surpassed its goal of $25,000 and as of today, December 1st, has reached $80,800. If you would like to visit the GoFundMe and are able to donate, you can find the fundraiser here.