JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A 14-year-old boy has died and a 13-year-old boy was hurt after a minibike they were traveling on crashed into a dump truck on Thursday afternoon, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said.
The crash happened around 12:49 p.m. on Myrtle Avenue South near Harper Street, which is not far from the Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center.
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JSO Sgt. Hungerford of the Traffic Homicide Unit said a white minivan was northbound on Myrtle behind a dump truck.
The dump truck slowed down to make a right-hand turn onto eastbound Harper Street.
As the dump truck slowed down, the people in the minivan said that the teens sped by on the right-hand side of the road on the minibike.
The bike transitioned from the sidewalk back to the pavement and the minibike hit the passenger’s side of the dump truck. Hungerford said both teens were thrown from the minibike.
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The teens were taken to a local hospital by the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department, Hungerford said. The 13-year-old, who was driving the bike, had minor injuries and the 14-year-old was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Hungerford said this is the 168th traffic fatality in Duval County this year and the 100 block of Myrtle will remain closed for the next hour while detectives investigate.
The driver of the dump truck and the occupants of the minivan stayed on the scene of the crash and relayed what they saw to police.
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Hungerford said that minibikes are off-highway vehicles that shouldn’t be on the road. He said the particular one the teens were riding did not have right and left turn signals, a headlight, or a taillight, which are required.
The teens were not wearing any safety equipment such as helmets, Hungerford said.
Charges in the crash are not anticipated, but that could change depending on the outcome of the investigation, Hungerford said.
To drive minibikes on the road, Hungerford said drivers must be 16 and the bikes must be insured and registered. Younger drivers who want to ride minibikes should ride on private property where there’s no cross traffic, Hungerford said.
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