South Carolina Injury Attorneys for Go-Kart Accidents

Go-karts are often associated with family entertainment, amusement parks and recreational riding. But whether a go-kart is operated at a commercial track or owned for personal use, these machines contain many of the same hazards found in larger motorized vehicles—including moving drivetrain components capable of causing catastrophic injuries.

Collisions and rollovers are among the more obvious go-kart dangers. Less obvious is the risk created when hair, clothing or other loose material becomes caught in a rotating axle, chain, sprocket or other drivetrain component.

This is not a newly discovered danger. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has documented serious injuries and deaths involving go-kart entanglement hazards for decades.

For people seriously injured in a go-kart accident, determining why the accident happened can be just as important as determining what happened.

Hair and Clothing Can Become Caught in Go-Kart Components

Many recreational go-karts place the engine, chain, sprocket, axle and other moving components immediately behind the driver’s seat. If these components are exposed or inadequately guarded, long hair or loose clothing may be pulled into the drivetrain.

The consequences can occur almost instantly.

In 1996, the CPSC and Manco Products announced the recall of approximately 300,000 go-karts with exposed rear axles. According to the CPSC, one child died and two others were seriously injured after hair or clothing became entangled in rotating rear axles.

The problem extended beyond a single manufacturer. In 1997, the CPSC announced another recall involving more than 122,000 go-karts manufactured by six companies because of exposed rear axles and the same hair-and-clothing entanglement danger.

Perhaps most concerning, safety guards do not necessarily eliminate the hazard.

In 2000, approximately 91,000 additional Manco go-karts were recalled because long hair or loose clothing could still become caught in partially exposed rotating components despite guards intended to help prevent entanglement. The CPSC reported a death involving a 13-year-old whose hair became caught in a drive chain and sprocket, as well as a scalping injury to another teenager and severe head trauma to a third.

These recalls demonstrate why the design and guarding of moving go-kart components can become an important issue following a serious injury.

Other Common Go-Kart Accident Hazards

Entanglement is only one potential danger. CPSC research has identified several recurring go-kart accident patterns, including collisions with other vehicles or stationary objects, riders being thrown from karts, rollovers, people being struck or run over, and burns from hot engines or exhaust components.

Head and neck injuries can be particularly serious. CPSC research examining injured go-kart operators found that more than half suffered injuries involving the head, face, mouth or neck. The agency has also documented accidents involving riders who were not wearing helmets or seat belts.

A serious accident therefore should not automatically be dismissed as an unavoidable risk of riding a go-kart.

Go-Kart Tracks and Attractions in South Carolina

Go-karting is available throughout South Carolina, from family amusement parks to indoor racing facilities and competitive kart tracks. That makes go-kart safety relevant to families and riders across the state.

In the Charleston area, Charleston Fun Park in Mount Pleasant operates single and double go-karts. In the Midlands, Frankie’s of Columbia offers multiple go-kart tracks as part of its family entertainment complex.

The Grand Strand has several options. Broadway Grand Prix in Myrtle Beach features seven tracks for different ages and experience levels, while The Track – Myrtle Beach operates elevated multi-level go-kart tracks with single and double karts.

In the Upstate, riders can find karting at Speed Factory Indoor Karting Greenville and Speed Factory Hi Speed Indoor Karting Spartanburg. There are also karting attractions in other parts of the state, including Indy Karting & Amusement in Bluffton.

These facilities are examples of the different types of go-kart experiences available in South Carolina and are not being identified as unsafe. However, wherever a person rides, operators and riders should take safety requirements seriously—including rules involving restraints, helmets, loose clothing, long hair, and unsafe driving behavior.

In fact, some South Carolina facilities specifically address the entanglement danger. Speed Factory’s Spartanburg rules require long hair to be secured, while Frankie’s Greenville states that customers with hair extending past their waist are not permitted on its go-karts because of the entanglement risk.

When Could a Go-Kart Accident Lead to a Legal Claim?

Liability depends on how and where an accident occurred.

If a go-kart contains an exposed or inadequately guarded chain, sprocket, axle or other dangerous component, there may be questions about whether the machine was defectively designed or manufactured. Warnings and instructions may also become important, particularly when a known hazard is not obvious to a rider.

Commercial go-kart facilities may present different issues. An investigation could examine maintenance records, inspections, employee training, track conditions, safety equipment, operating procedures and whether the business allowed a kart with a known mechanical problem to remain in service.

South Carolina also specifically regulates certain concession go-karts as amusement devices, while treating qualifying “super-karts” differently under state law. South Carolina law includes accident-reporting and shutdown requirements for certain serious or catastrophic amusement-device accidents.

Preserving Evidence After a Serious Go-Kart Accident

When someone suffers a catastrophic go-kart injury, preserving the actual machine can be critical. The condition of guards, chains, sprockets, axles, restraints and other components may help explain how the injury occurred and who was responsible.

Maintenance records, photographs, surveillance video, witness statements, operating manuals, warning labels, prior complaints and recall information may also become important evidence.

It is crucial to reach out to a qualified injury attorney as soon as possible in order to preserve evidence and before the go-kart involved is sold, modified or destroyed. 

Injured in a Go-Kart Accident in South Carolina?

A go-kart may be recreational equipment, but manufacturers, owners and commercial operators still have responsibilities when it comes to reasonably safe products and operations.

If you or a family member suffered a serious injury involving a go-kart in South Carolina, the Steinberg Law Firm can investigate how the accident occurred, whether a defective product or unsafe condition contributed to the injury, and what parties may be legally responsible.

Contact the Steinberg Law Firm for a free consultation about a serious go-kart injury or potential product-liability claim. There is no fee unless we recover compensation for you.