Fun racer seriously injured as ‘Spitfire’ cart f lips
A CART race contestant was in a critical condition yesterday after he was thrown from his makeshift vehicle as it span out of control.
The 52-year-old was one of three racers in RAF- style outfits on a homemade cart modified to resemble a Spitfire.
Crowds of cheering spectators saw the vehicle flip as it hurtled down a steep hill at the event in Sutton Valence, Kent, on New Year’s Day.
An off-duty doctor and paramedics treated the man, before he was taken by helicopter to King’s College Hospital in London, with a suspected serious head injury and broken jaw.
The ‘pram race’ sees contestants in fancy dress complete two laps around the village – one ‘dry’ and one involving stops at four pubs where competitors must drink a pint of beer.
The injured man, believed to be nicknamed Titch, is thought to have
‘Blood on the floor’
been sitting in the vehicle, with two teammates acting as ‘ pushers’ and standing on foot pegs at the side of the cart.
Witnesses said the trio were travelling at faster speeds than other contestants on a downhill stretch of the course. The group is understood to have belonged to a pub from the nearby village of Leeds, near Maidstone.
Melanie Williams, who attended the event, said: ‘He’s a friend of a friend of ours. Suspected broken jaw, fractured skull and neck injury. We saw it – it was awful. They went out of control.’
Another witness said: ‘ Three men dressed in RAF costumes and a pram designed like an aeroplane came down the street at speed before the pram flipped over. It literally happened a few feet in front of me – they fell at my feet. It all happened so quickly and then I saw blood on the floor. The three RAF guys were going a lot quicker than the pram in front of them.
‘As soon as I saw them coming at that speed I thought there was going to be a crash, but I didn’t think it was going to be that bad.’
The severity of the accident soon led to rumours the contestant had died, which were later dispelled by police.
The event, which attracts hundreds of spectators and sees thousands of pounds raised for charity, has taken place for 37 years.
Before taking part, competitors are asked to act in a manner that does not put themselves or onlookers at risk. They must also sign a waiver meaning the organisers are not responsible for any injuries.
The accident on Sunday, thought to have taken place at 12.30pm, has raised questions about whether the event will be allowed to continue.
But one local wrote online yesterday: ‘It is always easy to look back with hindsight and say the event should never have taken place or to look forward and argue the event should be scrapped. By all means, look for ways of making things safer – but please take a sensible line.
‘A world in which we protect everyone from everything may not be a world worth having.’