A 13-year-old riding a motorized bike in southern California was killed Saturday evening when they were hit by an Amtrak train at a Simi Valley railroad crossing, police say. The Ventura County Fire Department responded around 6:30pm to the collision at Sequoia Avenue and East Los Angeles Avenue, where the teen was pronounced dead at the scene despite rescue efforts, KTLA reports.
Simi Valley police say the youth was traveling south on the sidewalk on a "two-wheeled motorized device" when they failed to stop in time at the crossing and were struck by the passing train. The teen, a student in the Simi Valley Unified School District, has not been publicly identified. In a community alert, police called it a "heartbreaking loss" for the city and urged anyone using bicycles, e-bikes, or similar devices to stay alert and obey all signals near railroad tracks. Witnesses or anyone with information are asked to contact the department's traffic investigators.
The tragedy comes as e-bikes are surging in popularity, with experts increasingly urging awareness of how to ride the motorized bicycles safely and legally, KBAK reports. While some e-bikes only provide motorized assistance while the rider pedals, others act more like mopeds or motorcycles and allow riders—sometimes young ones—to reach speeds of 20mph without pedaling, and often without the need for a license, registration, or insurance, though some states are seeking to implement laws changing the rules. Just this weekend, e-bike deaths were reported in Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas, and another juvenile was reportedly in critical condition after hitting a car in New Jersey. In another southern California incident, a teen was arrested after allegedly hitting an elderly man while the teen was riding an e-bike, causing critical injuries to the man, KTLA reports.
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
