The city of Raleigh announced a new mandatory waiver for Raleigh Christmas Parade participants after the 2022 death of Hailey Brooks, the 11-year-old girl who died after getting hit by a pickup truck while dancing in the parade.
Participants in the 2024 parade must sign a waiver releasing the city from blame in the event that they are injured or killed in the parade.
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The parade will be held at 9 a.m. Saturday in downtown Raleigh. A memorial for Brooks will be in place at the start of the parade route.
The 2024 Raleigh Christmas Parade: What to know
Every single participant in the parade will have to sign the waiver, which states that individuals connected to parade participants cannot sue the city if their loved one is injured or killed in the parade.
Brooks was killed Nov. 19, 2022. Since her death, her family has filed a lawsuit against a number of different parties, adding the city of Raleigh to its lawsuit last month.
Irving Joyner, a law professor at North Carolina Central University, told WRAL News such a waiver is fairly standard, whether it’s for participating in a parade, working out at a gym or participating in a group activity.
The lawsuit filed on Oct. 10 on behalf of the late Brooks names:
- The city of Raleigh
- Whitney Schoenfeld, the city of Raleigh’s interim senior manager of special events
- Kirk Archer, the city of Raleigh’s special event planner
The family is also suing the Greater Raleigh Merchants Association (GRMA), the organizers of the Raleigh Christmas Parade.
Coverage of the parade begins at 9 a.m. Saturday on WRAL.
The route encompasses much of downtown and rides by the State Capitol building and the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts before ending at the Raleigh Convention Center and Red Hat Amphitheater. The path includes Hillsborough Street, St. Mary's Street, Salisbury Street, Morgan Street, Fayetteville Street and wraps up on Lenoir Street around noon.