Go-Kart Raceway Accident Results in Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed By Family of Middle School Student

An Ohio go-kart track faces a wrongful death lawsuit following a tragic accident, which caused a young boy to develop a rare type of cancer linked to serious physical injury, causing him to pass away shortly before his 13th birthday.

The complaint was filed by Amy Taylor-Bianco and Joseph Bianco last month in Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, indicating their son suffered severe injuries in a go-kart accident in 2018. The death occurred when staff allowed the child to operate an adult go-kart at Buckeye Raceway, in Columbus, despite increased speeds and the fact that he did not meet either the raceway’s minimum age or height requirements.

According to a report posted by The Athens News, Andrew Bianco was 11 years old when he visited the go-kart track. While operating a go-kart designed for adults, Bianco collided with a wall, suffering severe trauma to his testicles.

As a result of the injury stemming from the accident, the child was hospitalized for 12 days with severe bladder and rectal injuries, and developed a large mass in his groin, which was later identified as rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare form of cancer which can develop following a serious physical injury.

The lawsuit accuses the go-kart raceway of negligence in allowing Bianco to operate an adult go-kart, claiming that the staff knew he was too small to operate the vehicle, because they gave him a booster seat after seeing that his feet did not reach the peddles and he could not see over the steering wheel.

In addition, the go-kart speeds are supposed to be remotely controlled by staff, who are tasked with adjusting the top speed according to the drivers’ age. However, the lawsuit claims Bianco’s go-kart suddenly accelerated to the highest speed possible while going around a bend in the track, a speed reserved for adult drivers. The acceleration caused him to lose control and crash into a wall at somewhere between 30 and 45 miles per hour, the lawsuit claims.