Friends and family of 13-year-old Parker Robles left flowers and mementos to remember the seventh-grade student who died when his electric dirt bike collided with a vehicle on Friday in Stoneham, Massachusetts.”He was one of the neighborhood kids who really loved bikes,” said one neighborhood man. “He really enjoyed them, I saw how happy her was when he was on the bike.”Witnesses say Parker was traveling fast, and it appeared he tried to beat the car turning left onto Royal Street, driven by Boris Smatkov.”I am very sorry about the boy, I didn’t expect anything like this,” Shmatkov said. He said his car was towed from the scene by police, and his license is currently suspended while the investigation continues.It’s unclear if Shmatkov will face any charges.Concerns about e-bike safety have grown within police departments across the state.New Bedford police put out a PSA just hours before the Stoneham crash, warning of the dangers of erratic e-bike usage.On Saturday, Stoneham police cleared other dirt bike riders from the area where the deadly collision occurred.Some are now thinking twice about getting battery-powered bikes.”I wanted one before, but didn’t know too much about them,” said Brayden Lane. “Now that I see what happened, I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
STONEHAM, Mass. —
Friends and family of 13-year-old Parker Robles left flowers and mementos to remember the seventh-grade student who died when his electric dirt bike collided with a vehicle on Friday in Stoneham, Massachusetts.
“He was one of the neighborhood kids who really loved bikes,” said one neighborhood man. “He really enjoyed them, I saw how happy her was when he was on the bike.”
Witnesses say Parker was traveling fast, and it appeared he tried to beat the car turning left onto Royal Street, driven by Boris Smatkov.
“I am very sorry about the boy, I didn’t expect anything like this,” Shmatkov said.
He said his car was towed from the scene by police, and his license is currently suspended while the investigation continues.
It’s unclear if Shmatkov will face any charges.
Concerns about e-bike safety have grown within police departments across the state.
New Bedford police put out a PSA just hours before the Stoneham crash, warning of the dangers of erratic e-bike usage.
On Saturday, Stoneham police cleared other dirt bike riders from the area where the deadly collision occurred.
Some are now thinking twice about getting battery-powered bikes.
“I wanted one before, but didn’t know too much about them,” said Brayden Lane. “Now that I see what happened, I don’t think it’s a good idea.”