Hijab causes fatal injury on go-kart

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SYDNEY, April 9 (UPI) -- A family vacation at an Australian resort turned tragic with the accidental strangulation of a young mother whose head scarf became entangled in a go-kart.

Mariam Dadoun, 26, her husband and their two sons traveled from Sydney to the New South Wales coast during the boys' school vacation, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. She suffered fatal injuries to her head and neck during a trip to Port Stephens Go-Karts with her sons Thursday.

Authorities closed the unregistered facility, the newspaper said. WorkCover, the New South Wales agency in charge of workplace safety, was investigating the accident.

Dadoun's aunt described her as "the best."

"She helped everyone," the aunt said. "If anyone needed help, she wouldn't say no. She did a lot for everybody -- for her friends, her family, her relatives."

The aunt, who did not want her name used, described Dadoun as a full-time wife and mother. Her sons are 4 and 6.

A spokesman for WorkCover said there are no rules on what a patron can wear while driving go-karts. Dadoun was wearing a Muslim head scarf or hijab.

"The operator of an amusement device has a duty of care to its passengers or patrons to ensure that their health and safety is not placed at risk of injury," the spokesman said.