Ruwaida Adan was rushed to the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel after the accident, but died four days later from her injuries
(Picture: Handout)A 15-year-old girl was strangled by her own headscarf in a freak accident when it got caught in the back of her go-kart during a race, an inquest has heard.
Ruwaida Adan suffered a fatal brain injury when the hijab she was wearing became entangled in the exposed rear axel of her kart.
She had gone to Capital Karts in Barking on a Newham Council summer programme on August 6 last year and was not told to remove her head-covering before starting the race.
Ruwaida, who lived with her family in Newham, was put into a cart which was in such a state of disrepair, with damaged and missing rear safety guards, that it “should not have been driven”, an inquest at East London coroner’s court heard.
She was rushed to the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel after the accident, but died four days later from her injuries.
The teenager’s family told the inquest she had only recently started wearing a hijab and did not wear it all the time. They were sure she would have taken it off if told to by staff.
Assistant Coroner Leanne Woods has now issued a report warned that Capital Karts users with headscarves and long hair are still at risk, more than a year after the fatal accident.
She said race marshalls did not spot the danger Ruwaida’s headscarf posed and have not radically altered their safety checks since the accident, while Capital Karts’ managing director, Matthew Holyfield, insisted at the inquest that his staff followed their training and “did their job” on the day of the accident.
“In my opinion there is a risk that future deaths could occur unless action is taken”, said the coroner. “I have a concern about the nature of Capital Karts’ understanding of, and commitment to, addressing the concerns identified in the inquest about the adequacy of checks on clothing performed by marshalls.”
Following the inquest, the teenager’s family said: “Ruwaida was sweet and compassionate to everyone she met. She was so kind, thoughtful, caring, loving, strong and wise beyond her years. She was always speaking up for those who couldn’t speak up for themselves. She was always laughing and smiling – she had the most contagious laugh.
“Losing Ruwaida has been the hardest thing we have ever been through and losing her so unexpectedly make is even worse. Not only has a big part of our family gone, but her death has caused us all so much pain that we are all changed forever. We miss Ruwaida every second of every day.”
In its verdict at the end of the inquest, a jury concluded: “No safety check ensured that Ruwaida removed her headscarf before getting into her go-cart. No daily mechanics’ check was carried out on August 6, 2021.
“In Ruwaida’s cart the plastic drive belt guard to the rear axel was absent and the rear seat shield was damaged. Both should cover exposed moving parts.
“Ruwaida’s scarf became entangled in the moving parts resulting in her asphyxiation and her death on August 10, 2021.”
Ruwaida’s sister Yasmin organised a fundraising effort which collected more than £30,000 to build a mosque and a well in her honour.
In her report, Ms Woods said Ruwaida “should have been instructed to remove that headscarf and checks should have been done, at various stages, to ensure she removed it”.
“She entered the pit lane wearing the headscarf under the karting helmet and started to race whilst wearing her headscarf. This was not identified by staff at Capital Karts before she began karting.”
The coroner said Capital Karting says it now insists that headscarves are removed in reception, but she concluded the safety system is still not good enough to protect customers.
“I am concerned about the current system’s apparent reliance on checks at the reception area, particularly when it comes to long hair, which obviously cannot be removed and so may be untucked from a suit or come out of a suit before karting commences”, she said.
The court saw CCTV of the day Ruwaida died, showing racers with loose long hair in the pit lane and a duty manager, giving evidence, had “no idea why this happened”.
“There was no evidence about changes to training and/or monitoring of tracks marshalls”, added Ms Woods. “My concern is increased by the evidence of Capital Karts’ managing director (Mr Holyfield) during the inquest. At various points in his evidence he said that, on 6 August 2021, his staff ‘did their job’, followed their training and did the checks they were required to do prior to racing.”
Clare Campbell, a partner at law firm Leigh Day which represented Ruwaida’s family, added that they hope “Capital Karting acts swiftly on the coroner’s concerns to ensure no other family has to go through the agony of losing their loved one”.
In a statement, Capital Karts said:“Everyone at Capital Karts was deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic death of Miss Adan, and our sympathies are with her family and friends.
“We co-operated fully with the authorities in their investigation and reviewed all of our safety procedures following the accident. We confirm that we will respond to the Coroner’s request within the relevant time frame.”
