THE 12-YEAR-old Belgian girl critically injured in a go karting accident in Paphos on Tuesday died yesterday afternoon, police said.
Valentine Weekers, who had been holidaying in Cyprus with her parents, lost her battle at around 4.10pm. She had been at Nicosia general hospital after suffering severe internal injuries on Tuesday evening when the go kart she was driving at an unlicensed track in Yeroskipou swerved out of control and collided into the track’s tyre barricade.
Moments before losing consciousness, she is said to have told her father that the steering wheel had locked.
Despite the tragedy, the unlicensed go kart track has remained open for business.
Yeroskipou mayor Tasos Kouzoupos said yesterday the municipality was still waiting for its legal advisor’s decision on whether or not it could close down the track.
He confirmed that until this year, the specific premises had wrongly been given permission to operate.
“But it does not have any kind of operation licence for 2007,” he said.
He said that until this year the track had been allowed to work under a professional licence, without the municipality implementing the appropriate controls to ensure the permit was warranted.
Kouzoupos said it was of great concern to the municipality that the go kart track continued to operate. “Which is why we plan to have municipal council meeting to discuss the issue and on next Monday or Tuesday we will meet with the other government departments that share responsibility and are involved,” he said.
Meanwhile the electromechanical services also confirmed that it had never been asked by the municipality to assess electrical installations on the premises. According to senior officer Antonis Adamides such assessments result in the issue of a suitability certificate and only then do municipalities grant such premises operation licences.
“Our service undertakes the inspection and issuing of a suitability certificate with respect to the electrical installations at centres of public use following a request from the respective municipality before it issues the operation licence. This is our authority based on the law for centres of public use,” he said.
The Labour Minister has called an investigation into whether existing health and safety legislation is satisfactory or in need of additional regulations.
Antonis Vassiliou told reporters that instructions had been given for inspections at go kart tracks and other children’s playgrounds to continue.
Department of Labour Inspection director Leandros Nicolaides said the accident was under investigation.
“The district labour inspection office in Paphos is examining it,” he said.
Nicolaides said the investigators were gathering evidence and statements to assess how the tragedy had occurred.
“I have spoken to the investigator and he is also taking into account the girl saying the steering wheel wasn’t working,” he said.
According to Nicolaides, the onus of assessing any danger to an employee or third party at the workplace lies with the employer and owner of a premises. Negligent parties faced penalties, he said.
“The Labour Ministry has from yesterday already because inspecting all go kart tracks, of which there are about nine or 10, and this should be complete within the next two to three days,” he said.
Regarding the Yeroskipou go kart track, he said he expected the labour inspector to have its recommendations ready within the next couple of days.
