A tragic bicycle accident claimed the life of a Martin County teen.
Martin County Sheriff John Kirk said a 14-year-old riding his bicycle on Poplar Fork Road near Beauty died after crashing his bike into a culvert Wednesday. Kirk said the boy had been riding bikes with his cousin when the two began down a steep hill on Poplar Fork.
The sheriff said the boy was barefoot and had no brakes on his bike, and his cousin lost sight of him in a curve at the bottom of the hill. The teen was reported missing around 1 a.m. Wednesday.
Kirk said the boy failed to negotiate a curve and crashed into the creek bed and into a culvert next to Poplar Fork Road, where he was eventually found dead by a Martin County deputy Wednesday morning following a several-hour search of the area. Kirk said the deputy estimated the teen may have been traveling between 40 and 50 m.p.h. when he entered the curve in which he crashed.
Kirk said the investigation into the incident is ongoing, but it appears the crash that claimed the boy’s life is, simply, a tragic accident.
At the family’s request, Kirk said, the identity of the boy has not been officially released.
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