SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10) – A 17-year-old girl is dead after a dirt bike crash in Schenectady. On Friday night, police responded to an accident in Central Park and found her suffering from serious injuries after she appeared to strike a chain barrier that separated areas of the park.
It happened near Duck Pond Road. First responders rushed her to Ellis Hospital where she later died.
According to the city code, off-road vehicles – including riding dirt bikes – are prohibited from city parks and on city streets.
However, residents said it’s an issue they have been concerned about. The Upper Union Neighborhood Association President Tom Carey said they’ve flagged the issue, prior to the fatal accident.
“We’re very sorry to hear about the young lady that was killed and our thoughts go out to her and her family and friends,” said Carey.
He said City Council President Marion Porterfield and Chair of the Public Safety Committee Carl Williams were at a recent neighborhood association meeting listening to the group’s concerns about dirt bikes.
“We appreciate that the city has paid attention to it and try to deal with it. It’s very difficult. We’ve encouraged them to have more police presence in the park, but we realize the police are limited on what they can do,” said Carey.
He and others complained about the dirt bikes, the loud noises they make, and…
“People kind of riding motorbikes where they shouldn’t and in a reckless manner,” said Carey.
The mayor’s office said once the weather gets warmer, they see an uptick in calls about motorbikes. Carey said the neighborhood association wants to see all motorists slow down.
“It’s not just motorbikes, it’s traffic in general. We advocate for safe streets in our neighborhood and responsible use of streets and parks,” said Carey. “If you drive around the streets in our city, you’ll see we put up lawn signs, reminding people to drive responsibly because we don’t want to see another tragedy happen.”
The incident is still being investigated.
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