On August 18, 2014 at approximately 7:31 PM, officers were dispatched to the intersection of S. Belleview and Line Ave on a motor vehicle crash. Responding officers found that a go cart driven by a juvenile had been southbound on S Belleview Street and had pulled out in front of a 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe that had been westbound on Line Avenue. The driver of the go cart was struck by the SUV. That subject was taken to a local hospital with life threatening injuries. A juvenile passenger riding on the go cart was uninjured. The driver of the Hyundai, Joann Ramirez Flores, WF 44 of Amarillo was uninjured, as was her passenger Leslie Ann Elizabeth Walker, WF 24. The incident is being investigated by the Traffic Investigation Squad of the Amarillo Police Department.
***UPDATE 8-19-14, 9:05 AM***Traffic Investigations’ most recent information is that the juvenile go cart driver’s condition has stabilized.
Go carts or other small, motorized vehicles that are illegally operated on the street pose a special hazard to drivers and the operators. These vehicles are below the normal line of sight for drivers, lack protection for the operators, and the young operators often have no knowledge or regard for traffic laws. Officers can issue citations to juveniles illegally driving on streets and to adults that permit the activity.
