An 11-year-old dancer performing at a Christmas parade has tragically died after allegedly being hit by an out-of-control pickup trick.

The ghastly incident that resulted in the young girl’s death and which led to an immediate cancellation of the parade, occurred in Raleigh, N.C., on Saturday morning at about 10 a.m. local time.

“People said they heard the driver screaming out of the truck’s window that he had lost control and couldn’t stop the vehicle,” ABC 11 reported.

First responders rushed the youngster to a local hospital where she tragically died despite the gallant efforts of medical personnel there.

Overhead video depicts dance troupe members wearing green shirts apparently trying to get out the way of the truck that was reportedly traveling at a low speed.

Footage from @ABC11_WTVD shows the parade float truck that apparently lost control as it moved through a dance company at the Raleigh Christmas Parade. Bystanders rushing to help.https://t.co/Wdoq8EtJW0 pic.twitter.com/0mmSiExHuj

— Tyler Dukes (@mtdukes) November 19, 2022

“The girl, who has not been identified, was a member of CC & Company Dance Complex, a widely respected dance school on Six Forks Road in Raleigh,” the News & Observer explained.

Citing ABC 11, the news outlet added that “The truck, a GMC Denali, was pulling one of two CC & Company floats when it went out of control,” adding that driver was honking the vehicles horn and pleading with people to move out of the way.

Additional video uploaded to social media shows several men, including cops, physically bringing the vehicle to a stop.

Absolute heroes: Video shows at least 6 people, including two police officers, physically stopping the out-of-control pickup truck at the #Raleigh Christmas Parade. A young dancer participating in the parade was hit by the truck. @WRAL pic.twitter.com/bkw7NYNc2o

— Joe Fisher (@JoeFisherTV) November 19, 2022

Along with concerned citizens, public officials in North Carolina have issued messages of condolence in the aftermath of this tragedy as did the devastated Dance Complex on its private Facebook page.

“Police were inspecting the truck after the incident, but had not released any information about possible mechanical failures. It was thought that the truck’s brakes had failed,” the News & Observer noted.

Obviously, an investigation is ongoing, and presumably more details will emerge in the coming days.

The alleged driver, a 20-year-old Virginia resident who is cooperating with detectives, reportedly faces a slew of charges including misdemeanor death by motor vehicle, careless and reckless driving, improper equipment, unsafe movement, and carrying a firearm in a parade.

One eyewitness told NBC Raleigh affiliate WRAL News, in part, that “The girls kept dancing, and then very quickly parted as the truck moved through them. There were more dancers beyond this group. We were all, I think, wondering if it was part of the parade. Perhaps [the truck] picked up a little bit of speed and it kept honking, and then there was quite a bit more chaos. Everyone started to look confused….”

Another witness asserted that “All of a sudden we looked up and saw a truck on the other side of the road kind of coming towards us. They were able to get most of the girls out of the way. Unfortunately, we saw one of the girls get run over.”

Watch an update on the sad and terrifying incident from the Raleigh-area CBS affiliate, which includes a witness recalling that the tearful driver was screaming for help when the vehicle malfunctioned:

All suspects are presumed innocent until or unless they are convicted in a court of law of any alleged crimes.

Republished with permission from American Wire News Service

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Robert Jonathan

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Robert Jonathan is a staff writer for BizPac Review. He is a longtime writer/editor for news aggregation websites and has also developed content in the legal and financial publishing sectors as well as for online education. He earned a Juris Doctorate from the University of Connecticut School of Law, “a law school the basketball teams can be proud of.”

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