Child is Severely Injured by Go Kart

Case Overview

This case involves the failure of chain guard manufactured for a go-kart. The plaintiff’s young son was driving an all-terrain go-kart around the family’s property in Louisiana when his hair got caught in the chain, which ended up scalping him. The expertise sought in this case is someone who has a strong background with small engine safety.

Questions to the Mechanical Engineering expert and their responses

Have you designed go-karts?

I have designed go-karts and also other chain-driven devices, both motorized and human powered. I have done this by myself sometimes but more often with my students at MIT.

If you have designed go-karts, what gets taken into account when planning for driver safety?

When designing for safety of such vehicles, I would generally be concerned with risks of over-turning, potential for loss of steering or braking, potential for pinching or entanglement, and risk of electrocution or burning.

About the expert

This highly skilled and experienced Professor of Mechanical Engineering received a Ph.D from the work-renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers as well as numerous other professional societies. He has published multiple articles in professional publications such as the ASEE Journal of Engineering Education and the ASME Journal of Mechanical Design. Hi articles have garned much respect from his colleagues in the Mechanical Engineering field and he has won best paper awards from several organizations. This expert holds five patents for mechanisms and machinery. He is currently Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Systems at a prestigious institution.