A seven-year-old girl was killed riding the quad bike she was given for Christmas when it collided head-on with a Range Rover on a country road.

Elizabeth Cooke was fatally injured as she and her brother Jack, 10, rode their new QuadZilla Pro-Shark quad bikes behind their father’s car near the village of Blackmore, Essex.

The vehicle is understood to have been a QuadZilla Pro-Shark quadbike which can be bought online for around £1,200. The driver of the red Range Rover, a 28-year-old woman from Brentwood, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by careless driving while under the influence of drink or drugs. She was later released on bail without charge, pending further inquiries.

A spokesman for Essex Police said yesterday: “It is illegal to ride a quad bike on the road under the age of 16. Police officers will continue their investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash.” It happened just before 7pm on Boxing Day.

The two children were travelling along Fingrith Hall Lane, an unlit, winding lane near the family home at Bluebell Farm, when Elizabeth’s red, petrol-engine quad bike hit the Range Rover travelling in the opposite direction. She was taken to Broom-field Hospital in Chelmsford, but died soon after arrival.

Her father, Gary, 46, the managing director of an air-conditioning company, had driven in his own Range Rover to collect a family friend who lived a mile away from the Cookes’ 49-acre farm. Jack and Elizabeth followed on their quad bikes.

When they left the friend’s house at almost 7pm, it was dark. The family friend, who did not want to be named, was sitting in the back of Mr Cooke’s car as it set off on the return journey to Bluebell Farm. She was watching the lights of the children’s bikes behind her when suddenly one went out.

“We were in the car with their dad and they were following us behind,” she said. “We’d only gone 200 yards when it happened. I was watching them and keeping an eye on them. They both had lights on their bikes. I don’t really know what happened.”

Both children were very excited about their new presents and were anxious to try them out, she added. The bikes can be bought online for about £1,200.

Elizabeth’s family were too distressed to comment yesterday but friends expressed their shock at the news of her death.

Hayley Davies, 35, a neighbour, said that the country roads around Blackmore were often used as a short-cut to nearby Chelmsford.

She said: “My children don’t hack out their ponies in the afternoon because the roads are too dangerous, they use it as a race track.”

Leonard Miller, 31, a project manager at Mr Cooke’s business, said: “Liz-zie was a beautiful little girl. I can’t believe it’s happened or what the family must be going through.”

Elizabeth was a pupil at Blackmore Primary School. A fellow pupil attended the scene of the crash with her mother, Ruth Wilson, who described Elizabeth as a little angel. She added: “She was absolutely perfect and was loved by everyone. She loved horses. Her mum used to bring her horse to school for Elizabeth to ride home.

“They were wonderful parents, really lovely. The school is so small, it’s going to have a big impact.”

Elizabeth’s mother, Claire, 34, runs a chicken farm and puts horses out to stud. She and Mr Cooke also have an 18-month-old daughter, Charlotte. A postmortem examination is due to be held in the next week to establish the cause of Elizabeth’s death.

A spokesman for Brake, the road safety charity, said: “Even with permission to use quad bikes on private land, children should not be put in control of them – the sheer power and speed of them is dangerous wherever they are used.”

Toys that can kill

— Quad bikes, designed for children as young as 4 and capable of reaching 40mph, can be bought on the internet for about £300

— Quad bikes for children come in a number of engine sizes. The lowest is 50cc, but even one with an engine this size can reach 40mph

— The adult quad bikes have larger engines and can reach 60mph

— It is illegal for anyone under 16 to ride one on a public road

— When driving on a road riders must comply with all of the regulations that are imposed on road-going vehicles, such as having a tax disc, insurance and a licence

— Anyone of any age can ride one on private land, but only with the permission of the landowner

— Riding quad bikes in public spaces such as parks is prohibited

— A number of organisations have urged parents recently to think twice before buying quad bikes for their children. Brake, the road safety charity, said that the machines are hard to handle and respond suddenly. Because quad bikes have rear-wheel drive they can flip over easily when going up or down a steep hill. A spokesman for the charity said: “Even with permission to use the machines on private land, children should not be put in control – the sheer power and speed is dangerous wherever they are used”

— The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said that motorised “toys” such as quad bikes and mini-motorcycles were becoming increasingly popular as the items became cheaper to buy and more easily available online

— According to the society there were 2,600 quad bike-related accidents in 2000 among leisure riders. This figure rose to 3,200 in 2002

— The Health and Safety Executive estimates that quad bikes are implicated in two workplace fatalities a year and estimates that accidents cause more than 1,000 serious injuries a year

— A number of celebrities have been injured in quad bike accidents. It took a year for Rik Mayall, the actor and comedian, to recover from the head injuries sustained in his accident, and Ozzy Osbourne suffered several broken bones after an accident in 2003

Source: Times database

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