An inquest heard that a 15-year-old Muslim girl was killed in a horrific accident and strangled to death after her headscarf became trapped in a go-kart.
Ruwaida Adan was choked by her hijab minutes into a go-karting race in East London with her pals.
Jurors were informed that Ruwaida should have been requested to remove her headscarf, but inspections at Capital Karts in Barking, East London, missed it.
The youngster did not always wear a headscarf, according to her parents, and the racetrack had a policy of removing all loose clothing.
A probe discovered that the end of her scarf was hanging out of her helmet and suit, and that two sections in her cart meant to keep loose materials from becoming entangled were also broken.
Emergency personnel were called to the location on August 6, to transport the adolescent to the hospital, but Ruwaida died four days later.
She was asphyxiated and sustained hypoxic brain damage.
No safety check guaranteed that Ruwaida removed her headscarf before getting into her vehicle, stated the verdict at Walthamstow Coroners’ Court.
On August 6, no daily mechanical check was performed. The plastic drive belt guard to the back axle was missing in Ruwaida’s cart, and the rear seat shield was broken.
Both should protect any exposed moving parts. Ruwaida’s scarf became entangled in the moving gears, causing her to asphyxiate and die on August 10.
Ruwaida’s relatives claimed after the inquiry that Ruwaida was kind and sympathetic to all she encountered.
She was above her years in terms of kindness, thoughtfulness, compassion, love, strength, and wisdom.
She was always advocating for people who couldn’t advocate for themselves. She was always laughing and smiling, and her laugh was captivating.
Losing Ruwaida has been the most difficult thing they have ever gone through, and losing her so abruptly makes it much more difficult.
Not only has a large part of their family died, but her loss has brought them all so much anguish that they will be altered for the rest of their lives.
Every second of every day, they miss Ruwaida.
