6-year-old girl in hospital with head injuries after go-cart crash

A six-year-old girl suffered serious head and hand injuries, and remains in a Toronto hospital, after the go-cart she was driving crashed in an industrial parking lot on Canada Day.

The girl, who was not wearing a helmet, was driving the gas-powered go-cart in a parking lot on Clements Road in Pickering, Ont., about 40 kilometres east of Toronto. Durham Regional Police received a call reporting the crash around 9:30 p.m. ET.

“She collided with a couple of cars that were parked in the parking lot and sustained serious injuries,” said police spokesman David Selby.

'Do not operate anything with a motor in it or anything with wheels unless you’re old enough and can handle it.'- David Selby, police spokesman

She was transported by emergency services to Ajax-Pickering Hospital and later airlifted to Toronto's Hospital For Sick Children by Ornge Air Ambulance.

The girl’s parents were not present at the time of the crash, said Selby. She was under the supervision of a babysitter – an adult friend of the family.

Police are investigating and might lay charges, said Selby.

Any witnesses are asked to contact Durham Regional Police at 1-888-579-1520 x5226. Anonymous tips can be made to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or online at durhamregionalcrimestoppers.ca.

It is not known how fast the girl was travelling, but a gas-powered go-cart can go up to 25 km/h and weighs between 400 and 500 pounds, according to Tom England, owner of the amusement centre Neb’s Fun World in Oshawa, Ont.

“When it hits things, it breaks things. And the people inside them, if they hit things they’ll be injured for sure,” said England.

Helmets and other safety precautions are mandatory, he added, and a six-year old should not be allowed to drive.

“They’re just too young to make those judgment calls,” he said.

The warm weather brings a rise in accidents with vehicles of all sorts, said Selby, and the need for safety.

“We see lots of injuries every spring, every summer and every fall. Most of them are with ATVs. Some of them are with motorized bicycles, some are dirt bikes. It doesn’t really matter what the technology is,” he said. “Please be safe. Do not operate anything with a motor in it or anything with wheels unless you’re old enough and can handle it.”