Speedway Accident Causes Serious Head Injury
A motorbike careered off the track at a Speedway race and crashed into two teenagers who were watching the event.
Two bikes collided during the race in Berwick, sending one of the machines into the air, over barriers and into the spectators.
A 14-year-old girl suffered serious head injuries in the incident and a boy aged 16 was left with injuries to his collarbone and shoulder. It is understood that they have both had to undergo surgery.
Two of the riders came off their bikes in the crash, and one of them suffered minor injuries including suspected broken toes.
The remainder of the event, at Berwick Rangers Football Club's home at Shieldfield Park, was cancelled following the collision.
Speedway competitors race against each other during four laps of an oval-shaped track.
The single-geared motorbikes are powered by 500cc engines, have acceleration to match Formula 1 race cars but have no brakes.
Sion Kingston from Irwin Mitchell said: "Track design should factor in the possibility of this type of accident occurring, and ensure that it doesn't. Whilst the fence did stop one of the bikes, it appears that the speed at which the other bike was going meant that the bike and rider continued into the crowd. Whilst these accidents are rare, they do occur and when they do, they have serious consequences."
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