State alleges multiple violations against Urban Air facility after 6-year-old girl killed in go-kart crash

(ABC) — A 6-year-old girl who died in a go-kart crash at an indoor adventure park in Florida last year while behind the wheel was not old or tall enough to drive the double-seat kart, according to a state investigation that alleges multiple violations by the facility in connection with the incident.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has proposed a $300,000 settlement agreement with the operator of the Urban Air Adventure Park in Port St. Lucie following a monthslong investigation into the crash.

The crash occurred around 8:40 p.m. on Dec. 6, 2025. The girl was “operating a double-seat kart when she collided with the track barrier at the start of the race,” the recently released report from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services stated. Neither she nor her mother, who was in the passenger seat, were wearing seat belts at the time, according to the report.

The girl, Emma Riddle, was transported to a hospital, where she died later that night, officials said. The medical examiner found the cause of death to be blunt force injuries to the torso, and police classified her death as accidental, according to the state report.

State investigators determined that the child was operating the go-kart at the time, saying she was not tall or old enough to drive the double-seat kart. The manufacturer requires that drivers of the double-seat go-kart be at least 18 years old and 60 inches tall, according to the report. Emma was 49 inches, it noted.

Investigators said that the signage at the track did not list age requirements for the double-seat go-kart, according to the report. They also found that the child met the posted rider restrictions for height, though they said those restrictions were “contradictory to the manufacturer’s requirements,” the report stated.

The ride operator also did not “effectively brief the mother regarding proper go-kart operation,” the report stated.

Video footage showed that the ride operator failed to verify that the girl and her mother were properly restrained once in the go-kart, according to the report.

“Without the seat belt restraint, the minor patron was able to sit closer to the steering wheel than if she was properly restrained,” the report stated.

The facility is further accused of not enforcing policies restricting the use of electronic devices and cellphones on the track, as the child’s mother used her phone to take a video during the ride, according to the report.

The go-kart and track were “in good condition and functioned as designed,” the report found.