A 16-year-old boy is facing charges after he allegedly hit an SUV while riding an electric dirt bike. RCMP were called to the crash at Akins Drive between Alpine Boulevard and Amherst Crescent in St. Albert at 1:45 p.m. on Thursday. Police say a Ford Bronco was travelling southbound on Akins Drive when the driver saw a sudden flash and heard and felt a crash. People living in nearby homes also reported hearing the crash. The driver of the SUV got out and found an injured teen lying on the ground nearby. A second teen was reportedly riding with the boy on another electric dirt bike, but left the scene before police arrived. The crash was significant enough that the passenger side doors of the Bronco crumpled, the window shattered, and the airbags were deployed. The teen, who was wearing a helmet, was taken to the Stollery Children’s Hospital by ambulance, but has since been released. He has since been handed tickets totalling nearly $1,400 as a result of the investigation. “Our detachment has received numerous ongoing complaints regarding electric dirt bikes (and other micromobility vehicles) since early spring. We have been and will continue to conduct numerous focused enforcement and education operations to interdict these riders, yet they continue to be seen across the city,” Cpl. Curtis Harsulla wrote in a news release. “The young rider in this case is very lucky his injuries weren’t worse.” “These are not e-bikes. They don’t have pedals and they travel at much higher and dangerous speeds.” Use of electric dirt bikes in St. Albert and on public roadways in Alberta is illegal. Police say the majority of users encountered by officers are youths. The seizure of such a bike could result in criminal charges. The teen cannot be named because of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
