Go-Cart Crash at Ohio Raceway Kills 6-Year-Old Boy

A 6-year-old boy has died after a go-cart crash during a practice session at an Ohio track.

Michael Wise of Newark was driving a go-cart that somehow got turned around and collided with a motorcycle Saturday afternoon at Circleville Raceway Park, about 25 miles south of Columbus, the Pickaway County sheriff’s office said. Wise was flown to a Columbus hospital, where he died.

The 37-year-old motorcycle driver from Troy, identified as Tsuyoshi Shimizu, was treated at the scene for an ankle injury.

Sheriff’s Sgt. John Schleich said it wasn’t clear how the go-cart ended up facing the wrong way. He also said having a child racing isn’t unusual at the track.

“It’s normal for them to race up there, and little guys to race up there,” Sheriff’s Sgt. John Schleich said, though he wasn’t sure whether adults and children generally use the track at the same time.

A man answering the phone for the raceway said it was open Sunday but that its owners would not comment as the investigation continued.

Schleich said no major problems had been previously reported at the track. He said he was not sure if or how it was regulated.