14-Year-Old Critically Injured After Crashing His Dirt Bike Into a Tree in Port St. Lucie

Dirt biking and off-roading have been a national pastime for almost as long as bikes have existed. However, in this case, with great thrill comes great adversity. Dirt biking is not one of the lower-risk activities that one can partake in, especially with younger riders. While speed often equals adrenaline, it almost always involves risk, lack of control, and playing with your luck.

Case in point, on Sunday, a 14-year-old was hospitalized after he crashed his dirt bike into a tree in Port St. Lucie. The unnamed teen was riding his dirt bike on a sidewalk along Southeast Port St. Lucie Boulevard. He eventually went off into the grass in front of an insurance company. He is currently in critical condition.

Unhelmeted Bike Ride Turns Into a Serious Accident

According to WPTV, surveillance footage caught the boy riding without a helmet. He was seen going back and forth across a lawn before losing control and hitting a tree. He was found several minutes later by a passerby, who rushed to the scene and called for help. Within minutes, police, an ambulance, and a fire truck arrived at the scene and took the boy away on a stretcher. He was eventually airlifted to the hospital and is still there recovering.

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Police said the situation “hit home” because of the boy’s age, even more so because the accident was preventable. According to Florida law, riders must be over the age of 16 while wearing a state-approved helmet and safety eye protection. Besides these rules, riders can only ride on designated trails and off-paved roads at a safe speed.

Unfortunately, this isn’t an isolated incident in Florida. In January, a 14-year-old Loxahatchee teen passed away in a dirt bike crash. Also, in July, an 11-year-old died in a dirt bike wreck in Miami-Dade County. Meanwhile, state studies show that, out of 61 riders that die every year, 66% of them aren’t even wearing helmets.

Safety Concerns and Call for Responsibility

Local police claim, “Inexperienced operators operating around the roadway is always a formula for something bad to happen.” Meanwhile, the dirt bike group, Dirt Riders 2.0, said the organization is horrified upon hearing about the most recent incident. They also encouraged riding with caution, claiming they push for safety and responsibility.

While we hope the unnamed teen makes a full recovery, we can’t help but ignore the underlying attitude among dirt bikers. A continued disregard for the rules is only going to result in more fatalities, many of which can be easily avoided. All we can do is leave with the words of St. Lucie Police Chief of Police Leo Niemczyk: “Just operate these vehicles the way they were intended to be operated.”

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