Coroner wants safety belts installed in luge fun carts

Police examine the accident scene. Picture / Alan Gibson

A coroner investigating the death of a teenager in a cart accident on a luge track in Rotorua has recommended that luge operators consider installing seatbelts.

James Skipper, 18, died when his three-wheel cart crashed at the Mountain Action adventure tourism park last September.

The cart hit an embedded rubber tyre on the dirt track's edge and became airborne, landing beside the track.

Rotorua coroner David Dowthwaite said Mr Skipper's death resulted from his chest striking the cart's steering column.

Occupational Safety and Health found no grounds for prosecuting the operator, Mountain Action and Offroad Luge, but ordered them to redesign the track to prevent carts leaving it if riders lost control.

Dirt banks were installed on the edge.

An engineers' report by Michael Lee, of Dobbie Engineers, said the dirt banks lessened the risk of out-of-control carts leaving the track, but increased the chance of riders suffering injuries similar to those that killed Mr Skipper.

A rider restrained by a seatbelt might not be able to roll away from a cart to escape other carts coming down the track, the report said.

But Mr Dowthwaite concluded that out-of-control riders were more likely to hit the bank than be struck by oncoming carts if they rolled.

"Taking that conclusion into account, it becomes an inevitable recommendation which I adopt as part of this finding that the luge cart operator in this case, and luge cart operators generally, consider the option of installing seat restraints to enhance safety."

He said restraints would ideally prevent riders being thrown from the carts and hitting the steering column.

He agreed with Mr Lee that a multipoint belt rather than a lap belt would achieve this aim. But Mr Dowthwaite tempered the recommendation by saying he made it tentatively because of Mr Lee's concern about restrained riders being hit by oncoming carts.

OSH had also expressed concern that making seat restraints mandatory in luge carts had implications for other similar recreational vehicles.

The coroner also recommended that luge carts be classified as "amusement devices". Such operators are required to register their activity with local authorities.

Mr Dowthwaite said compulsory registration of luge cart operations would give local authorities power to oversee their establishment and safety.