Update 2: Connecticut police have sent over a statement.
Update: We’ve received a reply from Lime Rock Park’s Press, PR & Editorial Director, Rick Roso, detailing what happened last night. It is included below.
Police say several teens broke into Lime Rock Park on Wednesday night and crashed go-karts, injuring two teenagers. According to police, a 15-year-old girl was transported to a Hartford children’s hospital via helicopter and a 15-year-old boy was transported to a local hospital, both with non-life threatening injuries. Both teens are in stable condition.
In the area, multiple local news sources are reporting the crash.
Police were called out to the track around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday.
“CSP reports individuals broke into Limerock and were racing,” says a poster on a local fire department and EMS Facebook group.
Another poster on a racing forum said, “It appears at least two kids broke in, stole enduro karts from the infield autocross course, raced on the main course and crashed. Speculation is there’s spinal injuries involved.”
Lime Rock Park’s Press, PR & Editorial Director, Rick Roso, said in an email to TTAC, “Five teens, exact ages unknown, broke into Lime Rock Park, took five go-karts from a karting school which is scheduled to hold its programs Friday and Saturday, and drove them on the race track.
“At some point, two of the five kids crashed the go-karts near pit lane. We don’t know how 911 was notified.”
Jalopnik was in touch with Endurance Karting who confirmed their karts were the ones involved in the crash. From Endurance Karting:
1) There was an incident involving several of our karts.
2) The incident did not occur during an Endurance Karting sanctioned event. The sanctioned event is on Friday and Saturday.
3) The incident occurred while the Lime Rock Park facility was closed.
4) No one was authorized by Endurance Karting or Lime Rock Park to be operating a kart on the grounds at that time.
5) Those involved were not Endurance Karting customers, employees, or guests.
The extent of the injuries and number of people injured remains unknown at this time. Inquiries to Connecticut State Police were not immediately returned.
[h/t Chris Tonn]
The hell? That’s messed up. Some of my family is out there for a Chump race; I’ll post here if I hear anything from them.
Turn 5 or 6?
The end of No Name Straight or the last turn down the hill would seem like good places to run out of talent. And in a go cart? Ooh boy, are you in trouble.
Hopefully, the carting company had secured the carts overnight and the kids had been very clever. Because otherwise…Ooh boy are they in trouble.
As Mom used to say…it’s all fun until somebody gets hurt.
Kids have always done stupid stuff, and now we have the internet to let everybody know about it.
Yep, pretty much. Reminds me of a friend in high school who decided to hang off the hood of a ’78 Olds wagon while moving. But he only had a zillion stitches or so. Spinal injuries are a bit worse.
At least that’s a nice wide and flat surface to lie on. :)
We used to joke you could have a picnic on the hood of my grandparent’s M-Body Fifth Avenue.
the real fun and games will start when the bills start coming. That Eurocopter (just guessing) doesn’t come cheap! Good work by the medics and rescuers.
I fully expect that LRP and Endurance Karting will be sued for somehow making this possible.
Clearly insufficient warning stickers applied.
Oh Man. I hope this weekend’s events are still happening. I’m there on Friday practice and Saturday 6hr race.
It’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye. Then it’s just fun.
And a new game, Find The Eye!
I like how you think.
If I did something like this, I’d just be grounded and stuck in the house for approximately two years. During that time, I’d receive some butt whoopins until I couldn’t move (thus limiting my trouble making ability). Then when I could move again, I’d get another whoopin.
I would not have got a whoopin, but it would have been a similarly horrible fate. I would have become an intern at my father’s concrete business. This unpaid internship would involve doing all the tasks concrete finishers would rather have someone else do. 5 am to 8 pm every summer day that I did not have basketball practice.
Wait, that happened anyway! D@mnit. I actually was paid, but all the money was put into a Roth IRA.
That was right around the first time the Roth was available, so good on your parent(s) for being with it.
My parents to this day have no idea what anything beyond “IRA” means, unless I inform them. Then they forget. My first paychecks went to – wait for it – my first impending car purchase. At least I picked something reliable (not).
Worked at Kroger from age 14-16, making $5.25/hr BEFORE union dues. x.x