LETTER: Las Vegas boy meets a tragic death on a minibike

While I feel a great sorrow for the Naranjo family — as a parent, I can imagine nothing worse than losing my own child — I write this with great fear that Angel’s death will be the first of many on the walking and riding trails around our great city.

With the advent of e-bikes and the increased riding of minibikes, the likelihood of more injuries can be expected. The trails — while wonderful for walking, jogging or biking — were not made for nor maintained for motorized vehicles. In fact the trails have signs that say no motorized vehicles.

Minibikes, like the one Angel was riding, and e-bikes are motor vehicles. Most of these can reach speed of 35-plus mph. At that speed, overhanging trees, rocks, wires are no longer avoidable and represent dangerous or deadly obstacles. Throw in crowds as the temperature drops and the chance of crashes and accidents will only increase.

While the minibike and e-bikes are a great form of transportation, they need to be treated as street vehicles that require a license or training. When elementary, middle and high school students are zipping out of school parking lots and into streets, they need to be trained how to act on a motor vehicle and where they can ride before there are more tragic accidents like the one that befell Angel Naranjo.