A 9-year-old girl died Sunday after a collision on a motocross track in Southern California, authorities said.
The crash happened about 10 a.m. at the Lake Elsinore Motorsports Park, the Riverside County Sheriff said.
Brooke Carlton was riding an electric motorbike on a track designated for off-road vehicles when she was struck by another juvenile who was also on a motorbike, the sheriff’s department said.
When deputies arrived at the motorsports park, Brooke was unconscious and Samaritans were performing “life-saving measures” on her, authorities said.
Brooke was pronounced dead at a hospital less than 90 minutes after the crash, the sheriff’s department said. The other juvenile involved in the collision was treated at the scene for minor injuries, authorities said.
In a GoFundMe page for the girl’s family, Brooke was described as “an absolute sweetheart that could brighten anyone’s day with her warm smile and bright blonde halo of curls. For those that REALLY knew Brooke, she was a total spitfire that knew what she wanted and there was no way of getting around it.”
Brooke adored her parents, grandparents, dog “Gunner,” and brother Landon, the tribute said.
“Yesterday the good Lord called our dear Brooke Lily to heaven after a freak accident at a local motocross track,” the family wrote on the site. “Our entire family is still trying to understand why our Brookie, but we firmly believe that God needed her and called her home to be with him.”
Brooke’s parents could not be reached Tuesday afternoon for additional comment.
In an Instagram post, the motorsports park also paid tribute to the “little girl” who enjoyed motocross.
“We are truly sad about the situation. This was such a freak accident as the parent said,” the post said. “This is not a time to bash the track but a time to remember this little girl and support her family. We are a community and we will do our part in supporting the family as well.”
