Eight-year-old driver killed in Australia drag race crash

A jet-powered dragster prepares to take part in The Fast Show performance car event held at the Santa Pod Raceway near Wellingborough, England, on April 2, 2017. In Australia, an eight-year-old girl died after crashing her junior dragster during a test run in Perth, police said Monday, Nov. 13, 2017. AFP PHOTO

SYDNEY, Australia — An eight-year-old girl died after crashing her junior dragster during a test run in Western Australia, police said Monday.

Anita Board was on a practice run in her dragster “Pony Power” when she hit a cement barrier at the end of the run in the city of Perth, they said.

The girl was taken to hospital in critical condition and died on Sunday, the police said in a statement.

“Tragically, the eight-year-old girl involved in a crash at the Kwinana Motorplex… has died as a result of the injuries she sustained,” the statement said.

Police said they were investigating the cause of the accident.

Her father, Ian, posted a message overnight on the family’s Facebook page saying “my heart (is) in a million pieces”. /cbb