FORT WORTH, TX (7/20/2014) — Fourteen-year-old Kierstin Eaddy has died following what appears to be an equipment malfunction at a go-kart race held at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday morning.
Kierstin Eaddy, of Flower Mound, was one of many participating in an autocross event held in the parking lot of the Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) Sunday morning. The timed race, sponsored by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA), was going smoothly until shortly before 10:00 a.m.
According to reports, Kierstin’s #4 go-kart crossed the finish line but did not stop due to an apparent mechanical malfunction. Kierstin Eaddy ended up crashing through a wire barricade which ripped her safety helmet off. Eaddy and her go-kart continued into a field for about 200 yards until finally stopping. Eaddy was taken by air ambulance (CareFlite) to Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital where she was later pronounced dead.
According to Kierstin’s father, Todd Eaddy (who is involved with SCCA), his daughter loved what she was doing and she was good at it. She was also and safe. The 2-time champion racer had seven years of experience behind her and always wore a helmet, neck brace, vest and special racing suit. Kierstin Eaddy ran track, was a straight-A student, and was involved with charities such as the Spirit Horse Therapeutic Center of Corinth. Her main goal was to be an engineer.
Texas Motor Speedway shut down all of its events after the Sunday morning crash, and the Fort Worth police department is currently investigating the accident. They are trying to determine if there was a mechanical problem with the go-kart, or if something else may have prevented her from being able to stop the runaway vehicle (which had a top speed of 40-45 MPH).
Race organizers, including the Sports Car Club of America, declined to comment on the participant’s death at the scene of the accident, but SCCA president Lisa Noble issued the following statement on Sunday evening: “All of us at the SCCA are shocked and saddened to hear about Sunday’s tragic accident involving Kierstin Eaddy. We are a Club of families, and are shaken by the loss of this young competitor. Personally, and on behalf of the SCCA, my heartfelt condolences go out to Kierstin’s family, friends, and the participants at Sunday’s event.”
