Parents of Hailey Brooks testify on new NC parade safety bill
Roughly a week after filing a wrongful death lawsuit, the parents of Hailey Brooks spoke to state lawmakers Wednesday about newly proposed parade safety legislation.
April and Trey Brooks appeared before the House Transportation Committee after companion parade safety bills were filed in the House and Senate earlier this month.
The “Shine Like Hailey Parade Safety Act” outlines new requirements to honor the memory of the 11-year-old girl who was killed by a runaway float while dancing in the Raleigh Christmas Parade last year.
“This was born out of a desire to reduce the likelihood an event like this would happen again,” said Sen. Mary Bode, the primary sponsor of the Senate bill.
Bode and the sponsors of the House version were approached by the Brooks family about two months ago.
“They are so driven by the desire to have Hailey’s legacy — that bright light — continue to shine,” Bode said. “They have tremendous strength.”
The Brooks family has also set up the “Shine Like Hailey Foundation” in their daughter’s honor.
Bill requirements
The new bill outlines two key areas that Hailey’s parents say could have prevented their daughter’s death: vehicle inspections and driver competency.
“I think we all take for granted when we show up for the parade that there’s basic safety guidance being followed that’s ensuring the safety of the parade and its participants and the spectators,” Trey Brooks said.
The bill would require parade organizers in cities of 35,000 or more residents to inspect vehicles within seven days of the parade and ensure each one is registered and insured. It would also require anyone driving in the parade to be at least 25 years old and have a valid driver’s license.
The bill would allow municipalities of fewer than 35,000 to enact the same requirements but wouldn’t require them to.
Landen Glass was 20 when he lost control of his modified pickup truck as it pulled a float in the Raleigh parade the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Glass was unable to stop the truck as it rolled into a group of young dancers on Hillsborough Street, hitting Hailey.
Wake County prosecutors say a modification Glass made to his truck resulted in the emergency brake being disabled. Trey Brooks told lawmakers Wednesday that a mechanic would easily have noticed that the emergency brake was disconnected.
“If they had walked by, they would have seen the parking brake dangling from underneath the driver’s door,” Brooks told members of the House Transportation Committee. “If that would have been intact, my daughter probably would still be here today.”
The proposed legislation, however, does not require mechanics to inspect the vehicles.
Instead, inspections would be completed by the local police and fire department of the municipality hosting the parade.
Brooks voiced his concern about the responsibility of inspections falling on “untrained individuals.”
“Speaking with law enforcement that have been involved in parades before, they’re not qualified necessarily to do that,” he said.
Bode said police and fire departments were chosen to inspect the vehicles because they are already involved in planning and supervising parades. If that’s the case, Brooks said, law enforcement should use certified mechanics to conduct the inspections.
Bode noted that legislation may be revised as it proceeds through the General Assembly chambers.
“This legislation is a start,” she said. “It’s a new baseline.”
Brooks said the National Transportation Safety Administration issued parade safety guidelines after a train hit a trailer carrying wounded veterans in a parade in Midland, Texas, in 2012, killing four and injuring 10.
“We learned as a result of this accident the capital of our state, the City of Raleigh, had very little of these suggestions in practice,” Brooks said. “It was a tragedy, but unfortunately it was preventable.”
Raleigh has since beefed up its parade safety rules, including requiring vehicles and trailers to be registered and insured and that drivers be at least 21 years old and have a valid driver’s license.
The transportation committee unanimously approved the House version of the Shine Like Hailey Act, House Bill 633, on Wednesday, while the identical Senate Bill 731 has not come up for a vote.
Criminal and Civil Cases
Quickly following Hailey’s death in November, Glass was charged with misdemeanor death by motor vehicle and carrying a firearm in a parade, among other charges.
On March 20, a grand jury indicted Glass on involuntary manslaughter charges, prompting District Attorney Lorrin Freeman to elevate the charges.
In court, prosecutor Shaun Taylor alleged that Glass willfully removed the emergency brake from his vehicle, improperly flushed his brake lines, did not have his vehicle inspected and had several outstanding vehicle violations.
He was released on a $250,000 secured bond in early April.
On April 14, the Brooks family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Glass, CC & Co. Dance Company, the dance troupe Hailey was performing with; D and L Floats LLC, a parade float provider; and the Greater Raleigh Merchants Association, the parade organizers.
The 56-page lawsuit alleges negligence on the part of all parties. Brooks family is seeking $25,000 or more on each of the 10 claims, which include wrongful death, negligence and gross negligence and liability.
