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Parade Death Called Avoidable
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Published: January 12, 2008
Updated: 01/12/2008 12:15 am
PLANT CITY - The death of a 9-year-old boy who was run over by a float at the Plant City Christmas Parade was preventable and officials should consider changing the parade's rules, a city report says.
The report released Friday concludes Jordan "Booka" Hays was too young to walk the parade route, and that the float's design partly was responsible for his death. It also recommends city officials ban the distribution of beads and candy in parades.
The report and recommendations follow an investigation into Hays' death at the Dec. 7 parade. The Inverness boy was distributing candy from a church float and was run over as he reached for more goodies, police said.
In the report to city commissioners, City Manager David Sollenberger calls for a more in-depth study of parade safety and suggests using temporary barricades to keep spectators from floats.
Sollenberger based his recommendations on the investigation by Police Chief Bill McDaniel and Fire Rescue Chief George Shiley, and on opinions of parade organizers
The city report maintains:
•The boy's death was preventable but was not caused by parade spectators crowding the float. Crowd control has been a problem, however, and "it is incumbent on the city and all parade organizers to recognize the increasingly aggressive nature of some parade spectators and to take appropriate actions to mitigate the safety risks created by this behavior."
•Rescuers responded to the accident in a reasonable amount of time. Paramedics reached Hays in less than six minutes.
•No reckless behavior led to the death.
Other safety recommendations posed for consideration include a shorter parade route, capping the number of parade participants and moving the Christmas Parade from night to day.
City officials will study the recommendations, Sollenberger said.
He said he hopes to compile more suggestions before the Florida Strawberry Festival's Grand Feature Parade on March 3.
Strawberry Festival officials have said no beads or candy will be distributed during the parade.
Gasparilla Employs Barriers, Police
Jim Tarbet, executive officer of Tampa-based Ye Mystic Crewe of Gasparilla, recently said safety measures for Tampa's largest annual parade and "pirate invasion" have been refined throughout its history.
Barricades separate spectators from floats, and parade marshals and law enforcement officers closely monitor the 3.7-mile route.
The annual Gasparilla parade is scheduled for Jan. 26.
Plant City's Christmas and Grand Feature parades are the largest in the east Hillsborough County city. Hays' death spurred of shock and grief among those who had gathered for what usually is one of the community's most joyful annual events.
Friday's report offers the most detailed account yet of what happened.
It says the Greater Heights Family Worship Center float consisted of a trailer pulled by a truck. It had stopped momentarily when Hays stepped in front of the float's tandem wheels to reach for candy.
When the float, driven by Rickie Tarlton of Lithia, again began moving forward, its protruding wheels rolled over Hays, the report states.
Factors contributing to the accident, the report concludes: Hays was "too young to be walking up to and around moving vehicles in the confined environment of the parade route" and boxes of candy were positioned forward of the float's wheels.
The Rev. Joe C. Kelley Jr., pastor of Greater Heights Family Worship Center, could not be reached Friday for comment.
Local police suggested city officials consider adopting safety standards such as banning floats with protruding wheels, not allowing children to walk beside floats and requiring safety monitors on each float to coordinate movements with drivers.
Taking A Balanced Approach
The Plant City Christmas Parade already had a guideline that, when possible, participants 10 or younger should ride rather than walk the route.
Mayor Rick Lott said city needs a balanced approach to parade safety.
"You could take safety to such an extreme where you could eliminate parades altogether," Lott said. "We have safety rules already in place. We will add new restrictions as needed and find ways to be sure they are followed by all participants."
Sollenberger will appear before city commissioners Monday to share his recommendations.
Reporter Dave Nicholson contributed to this report. Reporter George H. Newman can be reached at (813) 865-4451 or gnewman@tampatrib.com.
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