The parents of a teenager who died after crashing his electric motorcycle into a light pole in Garden Grove were charged with child endangerment, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office told NBC Los Angeles on Tuesday.
The teen, identified as 13-year-old Benson Nguyen of Santa Ana, was traveling at 40 mph at the time of the crash in May, the DA’s office said.
Benson’s father, Vu Thanh Nguyen, 56, of Santa Ana, was charged with one felony count of child endangerment and one misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Before the fatal crash, Nguyen allegedly bought his son a faster, more powerful electric motorcycle, even though the teen had been involved in accidents while riding a motorcycle and had broken his leg just six months earlier.
The boy’s mother, Hong Cuc Thi Nguyen, 49, of Santa Ana, was charged with one misdemeanor count of child endangerment.
The deadly incident happened before 10 p.m. on May 11 near Magnolia Street and Larson Avenue, when the boy’s electric motorcycle crashed into the center median, according to police.
The DA’s office said the teen was speeding, running red lights and doing wheelies — a stunt in which a rider lifts the motorcycle’s front wheel off the ground while riding on the rear wheel — on his E-Ride Pro SS 2.0 E-Moto shortly before he crashed into the raised center divider. The boy was traveling at 43 mph before he was ejected from the bike and collided with the light pole, the DA’s office said.
A witness, who pulled over to help, described the violent impact of the crash as the teen was “was gasping for air.”
“We knew the kid. He was always on his bike,” Eduardo Avalos said, adding that he removed Benson’s helmet strap to help him breathe better. “He was always here with other bike riders, riding the bike and it was just going too fast.”
The boy was taken to a hospital where he later died from his injuries, police said.
The electric motorcycle ridden by the teenager at the time of the crash requires a valid motorcycle license, DMV registration, a license plate and insurance because it is classified as a motor-driven cycle under California Vehicle Code Section 405 or a motorcycle under Section 400, the DA’s office said.
“The loss of a child is a price no parent should pay, and we mourn the tragic loss of Benson along with everyone who loved him,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said. “But grief does not erase the decisions that were made by Benson’s parents to continue to allow their untrained and unlicensed 13-year-old to illegally ride an E-Moto after repeated warnings and repeated injuries, and grief does not erase the need for accountability.”
E-bike and electric motorcycle crashes are the most common cause of children being sent to emergency rooms in Orange County, Spitzer’s office said, with the number of injuries spiking more than 430% in the last four years across Southern California.
The Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS) estimates that more than 60% of electric motorcycle crashes involve children ages 11 to 14. Teens under 16 are prohibited from riding electric motorcycles.