PORTLAND — An 11-year-old Portland boy was seriously injured after his uncle tied a rope between his truck and the boy’s go-kart, dragging it at speeds reaching 20 mph, the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday.
The boy was behind the wheel of the go-kart when it crashed into a tree as it was being towed and then tumbled down an embankment about 10 p.m. Monday. The boy was wearing a helmet and harness.
He was taken by Life Flight helicopter to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland and was in intensive care Tuesday morning, the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
The boy’s uncle, Brandon McKay, told investigators that he had gone to the intersection of Nicolai Cutoff Road and Wilbur Road in Rainier, where the family was visiting grandparents, to tell his nephews it was time to come home. He told police his nephew asked him to hook up the go-kart to the back of his truck.
