Children’s go-cart struck by vehicle (updated)
Published 5:33 pm Thursday, March 27, 2014
Authorities released new details Friday regarding two children who were injured Thursday when a vehicle struck their go-kart.
Alabama Department of Public Safety Public Information/Education Unit spokesman Sgt. Steve Jarrett said a two-vehicle crash on County Road 322 happened between 3:30 p.m. and 3:43 p.m.
Jarrett said the children were transported to Children’s Hospital in Birmingham with non-life threatening injuries.
The Isabella Fire Department was dispatched to the call of “two children struck by a vehicle,” fire chief Brent Conway said on Friday.
Conway confirmed the children in the go-kart were two females between the ages of 12-14 and possibly related.
“We don’t have all of the answers right now as to how it happened, but we do know that when we got there we found the two girls in a ditch and they were off the go-kart,” Conway said. “No one knows right now if they pulled out in front of the vehicle that hit them or how fast the vehicle was going.”
A landing zone was set up at the Isabella High School football field, where one of the females was transported by an emergency helicopter to Children’s Hospital.
Jemison Fire Chief John Dennis transported the female to the landing zone in Jemison’s emergency transport system.
Dennis said the other female was taken by ground ambulance to Children’s and both females were “doing OK” on Friday.
“I never saw the go-kart or the vehicle, but the girls were removed from the go-kart,” Dennis said. “I have heard they are both doing OK on Friday. When we arrived on scene, from our standpoint and the mechanism of the injury, we thought it warranted one of the girls going to the hospital in a helicopter.”
Conway said the location of the incident occurred in the New Convert Community off Highway 191.
“You drive all the way down County Road 87 and turn left onto County Road 322 which is where this incident occurred,” Conway said. “It is normally a very rural and slow speed area. There are a lot of houses and most of the houses know that there are kids in the neighborhood. There are also elderly people in the area as well. It is a small, tight-knit community.”
Conway said portions of the road in the area have curves, but the location of the incident was not near a curve.
“The one thing we ask is for people to be careful on these small, rural roads,” Conway said. “Even though you may not think there are children around, they are there and you need to be aware. Another thing is making sure parents try to keep their children from driving on main roads. I have seen a lot of kids riding go-karts or ATVs and most of them are not wearing helmets. Once those kids get on pavement with other cars it becomes very dangerous.”
Conway said the driver of the vehicle stayed on the scene of the incident until both girls had been transported to the hospital.
Authorities were unable to release the names of the girls, but Jarrett said Alabama State Troopers are continuing to investigate the incident.