Float’s driver loses control; girl killed
RALEIGH — A truck pulling a float for a holiday parade crashed Saturday, striking and killing a girl participating in the event, news outlets reported.
The driver who lost control of the vehicle and struck the child was charged with reckless driving and other offenses, the Raleigh Police Department said in a news release. Police identified the driver as Landen Christopher Glass, 20.
Witnesses told WTVD-TV that people attending the Raleigh Christmas Parade heard the pickup's driver screaming that he had lost control of the vehicle and couldn't stop it before the crash.
The girl struck by the truck was part of a dance troupe participating in the parade, the News & Observer reported.
Nobody else was injured in the collision. The parade was canceled after the crash.
Investigators interviewed Glass, who was charged with misdemeanor death by motor vehicle, careless and reckless driving, using improper equipment, unsafe movement, and carrying a firearm in a parade.
The girl's name and age weren't immediately released.
Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin expressed her condolences to the girl's family and friends.
“Today started off with such joy,” the mayor tweeted. “My heart was so full. And now it aches for the young girl hit in a tragic accident on the parade route.”