13-Year-Old Hurt in E-Bike Crash

A 13-year-old boy was seriously injured Sunday night after a collision between a motor vehicle and a Class 3 e-bike in Farmington, according to Farmington police. The crash happened around 9 p.m. on May 10 at Farmington Avenue, also known as Route 4, at the intersection with the Interstate 84 westbound Exit 38 off-ramp, police said. The teenager was taken to a hospital with serious injuries, and authorities said the case remains under investigation. The North Central Municipal Accident Reconstruction Squad is assisting Farmington police, according to local reports citing the department. ### Where did the crash happen? Farmington Avenue at the I-84 westbound Exit 38 off-ramp is where officers were called for the collision, according to Farmington police. Local television outlets reported the location as the Route 4 intersection near the highway ramp, a busy junction that connects town traffic with interstate traffic. (nbcconnecticut.com) The Route 4 corridor in Farmington is a main east-west road through the town, and police identified the crash site specifically as the off-ramp intersection rather than on the interstate itself. That distinction matters because several reports initially framed the incident as an “I-84” crash, while the police description places it at the surface-road intersection with the ramp. (nbcconnecticut.com) ### What do police say happened? Farmington police said the 13-year-old was riding a Class 3 e-bike when he was struck by a vehicle. Police did not publicly identify the boy, the driver, or the make of the vehicle in the reports published Monday. Authorities also did not say in those reports which party had the right of way. (nbcconnecticut.com) Around 9 p.m. is the time officers were dispatched, according to the reports. Police described the injuries as serious, and NBC Connecticut reported the boy was hospitalized after the collision. ### What is a Class 3 e-bike in this case? A Class 3 e-bike was the type of bicycle police said the teen was operating. (nbcconnecticut.com) In common U.S. usage, that label refers to an electric bicycle designed to provide pedal-assist up to 28 miles per hour, though the Farmington police reports cited by local media did not say how fast the bike was traveling at the time of the collision. Police have not released details on whether the teen was wearing a helmet, whether lighting conditions affected visibility, or whether any traffic-control devices were involved. Those are among the kinds of facts investigators typically examine in a reconstruction inquiry, but Farmington police had not publicly assigned fault in the reports available Friday. (nbcconnecticut.com) ### Who is investigating, and what are they looking at? The North Central Municipal Accident Reconstruction Squad is assisting Farmington police, according to the department’s public statements carried by local outlets. Reconstruction teams typically document vehicle positions, road markings, debris, timing and sight lines as part of determining how a crash unfolded. In this case, police have said only that the investigation is active. (nbcconnecticut.com) Farmington police asked anyone with information to contact Officer Murphy, according to NBC Connecticut. The department had not announced charges or enforcement action in the reports published after the crash. ### What questions remain unanswered? Police had not publicly released the identities of the people involved as of the latest local reports. (nbcconnecticut.com) Authorities also had not said whether speed, impairment, distraction or road design played a role in the collision. The next public updates are likely to come from Farmington police as the reconstruction work continues. NBC Connecticut reported that witnesses or anyone with information were asked to contact Officer Murphy of the Farmington Police Department at 860-675-2430. (nbcconnecticut.com)