Police release name of teenager who died after go-cart collides with pickup truck

UPDATE 5/15/24: This article has been updated with the deceased victim’s name.

A 13-year-old boy died after suffering injuries in a collision between a go-cart he was riding in and a pickup truck in Belleville, police said.

Jermel D. Ware of Belleville died in a St. Louis hospital, according to the Belleville Police Department.

Two juveniles were in the go-cart going north on Freedom Drive Saturday morning and a 61-year-old man was driving a Chevrolet Silverado east on North Belt West, according to a statement from Assistant Police Chief Mark Heffernan.

Witnesses told police the go-cart “possibly clipped the curb near the intersection of North Belt West and Freedom Drive, causing the go-cart to enter North Belt West,” the police statement said. “Witnesses stated the go-cart struck the rear passenger side of the Chevrolet Silverado.”

One of the juveniles was unresponsive on the scene and the other was responding to emergency workers.

Both of the juveniles were taken to Memorial Hospital in Belleville and then transferred to St. Louis hospitals.

The St. Louis Medical Examiner’s Office told the Belleville Police Department Sunday afternoon that the 13-year-old victim had died.

The Illinois State Police traffic crash reconstruction team was called for assistance and the crash remains under investigation.