A 16-year-old rider is in critical condition at Akron Children’s Hospital after the electric bicycle he was riding struck an SUV in Marlboro Township on Tuesday evening, according to the Marlboro Township Police Department.
Officers responded at about 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 10, to the 5600 block of Smith-Kramer Street NE, in the Hartville area of Stark County, for a crash involving an SUV and an e-bike, the Marlboro Township Police Department said in an announcement posted on the department’s Facebook page on Wednesday morning and reported by The Repository.
According to the department’s preliminary investigation, reported by The Repository, WKYC and WNIR, the SUV was turning into the motorist’s own driveway when the e-bike struck the vehicle, throwing the teenage rider from the bicycle.
The 16-year-old was taken to Akron Children’s Hospital, where he remains in critical condition, police told The Repository. The driver of the SUV was not injured.
Early findings indicate darkness may have been a contributing factor in the crash, the Marlboro Township Police Department said, in reporting by The Repository and WKYC. The crash remains under investigation, and police have not released the rider’s name.
In the same announcement, township police reminded drivers and cyclists to take extra care as the days get shorter. “As daylight hours get shorter, visibility becomes increasingly important. Drivers and cyclists alike should use extra caution, especially during evening hours,” the department said in its Facebook post, as reported by The Repository. “We wish the young rider strength and a full recovery,” the department said in that post, as reported by The Repository.
NewsForce247 will update this story as Marlboro Township police release more information about the crash and the rider’s condition.
Photo: DiscoverHartville, CC BY-SA