A 12-YEAR-OLD Belgian girl was yesterday fighting for her life after she was injured in a go karting accident in Paphos, police said.
Valentine Weekers, who was holidaying in Cyprus with her parents, was injured at around 7.30pm on Tuesday at a go karting track in Yeroskipou municipality.
Paphos Minor Crimes Unit and a Labour Ministry inspector were immediately dispatched to the scene. The investigation determined that the child had been driving one of the track’s karts when, under circumstances being investigated, she crashed into tyres used as a protection barrier around the track. Upon impact, Valentine appears to have hit her chest on the vehicle’s steering wheel.
She was rushed to Paphos General Hospital where she underwent emergency abdominal surgery. Due to the severity of her injuries, she was transferred to Nicosia General Hospital where she had further surgery. Her condition is said to be critical.
Responding to media reports and deputies’ outcries that better safety measures were necessary to avoid accidents, police said the legal driving age to drive on adult tracks is currently eight years old.
The owner of the Daytona Racetrack in Tseri, Gregory Katikkis, 36, said this was because karts were broken down by size groups, with specific karts for different heights.
“If you do this according to age, a seven-year-old can more or less drive the karts,” he said.
He said at his track, drivers were given a 10-minute briefing regarding safety on how to drive and what to do and not to do. He said people who misbehaved were given a warning and repeat offenders were removed from the track. If children were using the track, usage was limited to five karts per session. In the case of adult go karters this could be increased to 10 drivers.
According to CyBC, however, the track where the accident happened was unlicensed, with deputies calling for stricter regulations regarding the operation of such establishments. According to the state network, go kart tracks currently operate under amusement park licences.
Paphos’ labour inspection district office head Takis Socratous told reporters that children under 12 were supposed to drive karts with limited speed. He said the investigation was ongoing into how the 12-year-old had crashed into the protective tyres at high speed.
Media reports criticised the track for failing to have the karts installed with seatbelts.
Katikkis said the karts came without them directly from their manufacturers, adding this was because the objective was to get out of the kart upon impact.
All go kart drivers are required to wear appropriate safety gear such a full face helmet, Katikkis added.
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