British schoolgirl killed in 'freak' go-kart accident in Hong Kong

A British schoolgirl, Amy Rose Coxall, has been killed in a freak accident in Hong Kong after getting her scarf got caught in the wheels of a go-kart, strangling her to death.

By Peter Foster, in Beijing
Published: 8:04PM GMT 18 Feb 2010

The 15 year-old was enjoying a Chinese New Year holiday outing with a group of seven friends when the accident happened.

According to witnesses, Miss Coxall, a student at Hong Kong's private £750-a-month Island School in the former British colony, arrived at the track at about noon on Wednesday.

As they were racing, the cart she was driving suddenly "veered off the circuit" and came to a sudden halt.

Rescuers rushed to assist the girl who was already semi-conscious when they reached her kart.

She was evacuated to the nearby Tuen Mun Hospital but pronounced dead on arrival 45 minutes after the accident at 4.30pm.

"A witness said the kart stopped suddenly at one side of the track and the blue scarf was attached to it," said a police spokeswoman.

"An initial investigation showed the cause of death was neck strangulation."

Local television channels showed the shocked and weeping girls being comforted by parents as their friend was admitted to hospital.

The teenager was living with a friend's family in the former British colony after her parents moved from Hong Kong to Australia.

One of her parents arrived in Hong Kong late on Thursday.

On Thursday morning a team of ten police investigators were at the Diamond Coast International Kart Circuit, the city's only karting facility which has safety codes conforming to international standards.

The track's go-karts, which are open to children over the age of 11, can travel up to 90mph, but parents must sign a liability waiver before allowing their children to race.

Karting experts said it was highly unusual for a driver to be allowed to compete whilst wearing a scarf, with girls being instructed to tie up their hair before taking the wheel. Wednesday was a cold day in Hong Kong, with temperatures falling to 6C.

Hong Kong's Home Affairs Bureau announced a review of procedures, including safety rules and track design.

In 2001, a 20-year-old female university student was critically injured and left brain-damaged when her scarf got caught in the wheel of a go-kart on a course in Macau near Hong Kong.

From: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/hongkong/7264633/British-schoolgirl-killed-in-freak-go-kart-accident-in-Hong-Kong.html