Stamford Boy, 14, Killed In Dirt Bike Accident

UPDATED 8 p.m.: STAMFORD, Conn. — A 14-year-old Stamford boy was killed and his 16-year-old brother critically injured in a dirt bike collision Thursday afternoon in a field off Long Ridge Road near Roxbury Road, Sgt. Andrew Gallagher said.

Gallagher called the accident a "terrible tragedy.” The initial investigation found the two motorcycles were going head-on and hit into each other slightly offset, a police statement said. Police will not release the names of the victims until Friday so the family can make notifications and arrangements, the statement said.

Both boys were taken to Stamford Hospital, where the younger teen was pronounced dead and his older brother was being treated for "life-threatening" injuries, Gallagher said. The boys lived in the area near the field, and both were wearing helmets, he said.

A resident who lives near the field heard one boy calling for help and called 911 just before 2 p.m., Gallagher said. A volunteer firefighter who lives in the area was the first on the scene and found the two boys “severely injured,” about a quarter mile from the Long Road entrance, the statement said.

The North Stamford field is next to the Rippowam River and near an area once used by the city to dump leaves. It is still owned by Stamford, though it is unused and overgrown with brush, Gallagher said. There is evidence people were riding dirt bikes before Thursday’s accident, he said. The field is blocked to prohibit vehicle access, but dirt bikes and other off-road vehicles can get through the barricade, he said.

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