{"id":250176,"date":"2026-04-28T21:04:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T21:04:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/250176\/"},"modified":"2026-04-28T21:04:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T21:04:08","slug":"state-reviews-300000-settlement-over-6-year-olds-go-kart-death-at-urban-air","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/250176\/","title":{"rendered":"State reviews $300,000 settlement over 6-year-old\u2019s go-kart death at Urban Air"},"content":{"rendered":"

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (CBS12) \u2014 A $300,000 state settlement is under review on Tuesday in connection with the death of a 6-year-old girl who was killed in a go-kart crash at Urban Air Adventure Park<\/a> in Port St. Lucie.<\/p>\n

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services proposed the settlement after a month-long investigation found multiple safety violations tied to the gokart attraction. Urban Air is currently reviewing the agreement, which would resolve the state\u2019s administrative case if accepted.<\/p>\n

The settlement stems from the death of Emma Riddle, who was injured at the indoor adventure park on December 6<\/a> while attending her sister\u2019s birthday celebration. According to investigators and previous reporting<\/a>, Riddle was riding in a double-seat electric go-kart when it crashed into a track barrier shortly after the ride began.<\/p>\n

A 911 call <\/a>placed by park staff described a child who was seriously hurt and needed immediate medical help. Police and fire crews arrived to find Riddle receiving treatment at the park before she was transported to HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital in Fort Pierce. She later died from blunt force injuries to the torso. Police classified the incident as an accidental death.<\/p>\n

While the gokart itself was later found to be mechanically sound, the state\u2019s investigation identified several failures in how the ride was operated. Investigators determined Riddle was seated in the driver\u2019s position of the double-seat gokart, despite manufacturer guidelines and Urban Air\u2019s own rules requiring drivers to be at least 18 years old and at least 60 inches tall. Riddle was 6 years old and measured 49 inches tall.<\/p>\n

See Related: ‘Full of life, love and light’: Family IDs 6-year-old girl killed at a PSL adventure park<\/a><\/p>\n

Investigators also found that neither Riddle nor her mother, who was riding in the passenger seat, was wearing a seat belt. Surveillance video showed the ride operator did not physically check the restraints or have the riders pull on them to ensure they were secure before releasing the kart.<\/p>\n

Speed was another issue cited in the investigation. Data showed the gokart reached approximately 10.8 miles per hour, exceeding the attraction\u2019s maximum allowed speed of 10 miles per hour. Investigators said the increased speed likely worsened the severity of the crash when the kart struck the barrier.<\/p>\n

The investigation further found problems with signage at the track, noting that posted signs did not clearly list age or driver requirements and did not match manufacturer standards. Investigators also cited inadequate ride supervision and reported that a cell phone was used during the ride, which is prohibited under park safety rules.<\/p>\n

Based on those findings, the Department of Agriculture issued an administrative complaint against the park\u2019s operator, NIFE Holdings, LLC, and proposed the $300,000 settlement.<\/p>\n

The agreement also requires the company to place an additional ride operator at the gokart attraction for one year to help ensure safety rules are followed. The settlement states that the operator admits to the violations outlined in the complaint.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (CBS12) \u2014 A $300,000 state settlement is under review on Tuesday in connection with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":250177,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[171,173,172],"class_list":["post-250176","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-port-st-lucie","tag-port-st-lucie","tag-port-st-lucie-headlines","tag-port-st-lucie-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/250176","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=250176"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/250176\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/250177"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=250176"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=250176"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=250176"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}