Authorities in California are investigating after a 9-year-old motocross rider died in a collision with another young rider at a motorsports track on Sunday.
The Riverside County Sheriff's Office said deputies and Cal Fire responded to the Lake Elsinore Motorsports Park at around 10 a.m. Sunday after a crash was reported. They arrived to find good Samaritans "performing life-saving measures" on an unconscious child, later identified as 9-year-old Brooke Carlton. She was transported to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Another child was treated at the scene for minor injuries, the sheriff's office said. Both juveniles were riding electric motorbikes at the track when the collision occurred.
Carlton's family identified her and announced her death in a GoFundMe campaign.
"Yesterday, the good Lord called out dear Brook Lily to heaven after a freak accident at a local motocross track," Jason and Angie Carlton wrote. "Our entire family is still trying to understand why our Brookie, but we firmly believe that God needed her and called her home to be with him."
Lake Elsinore Motorsports Park released a statement on Monday, noting that "due to legal obligations" they were not able to comment before then.
"We are truly sad about the situation," the park wrote on Instagram on Monday. "This was such a freak accident as the parent said. This is not a time to bash the track but a time to remember this little girl and support her family. We are a community and we will do our part in supporting the family as well. May you rest in peace Brooke!"
Carlton was an ambassador for Go Fast Girls, a motorsports apparel company, and her profile on their website indicated she had just begun racing when she was 8.
"Hi! My name is Brooke Carlton and I am 8 years old. I just started racing motocross in the Southern California area and I am gearing up to race BMX too! I love to be out on the track competing with other girls and going fast," her profile read.
The sheriff's office said its Traffic Bureau is assisting the investigation, which is ongoing.
--with reporting by TMX
