FAYETTEVILLE — A Fayetteville teen died from injuries he suffered in a scooter wreck Monday night in Fayetteville, said Sgt. Craig Stout, a Fayetteville Police Department spokesman.
Grant McCoy White, 19, of Fayetteville, was a passenger on a scooter westbound on Wedington Drive when a 2008 Nissan Sentra driven by Margarita Hernandez, 41, pulled out in front of the scooter, Stout said.
The wreck happened around 9:45 p.m. Monday near Broyles Avenue and Wedington Drive, according to Central EMS records. Stout said Hernandez said she didn’t see the scooter.
The 17-year-old scooter driver from Bella Vista was wearing a helmet, Stout said. The boy survived the wreck, but White did not have a helmet on, he said.
State law prevents police from releasing the name of people who are under the age of 18.
Both teens were taken to a hospital, where White died, Stout said.
State law mandates people under 21 years old wear helmets on motorcycles and scooters, but people often don't, Stout said. Many riders also will ride on the back of scooters that are designed for one rider. That makes the scooters harder to handle and stop quickly, Stout said.
The incident remains under investigation. No citation has been issued, Stout said.
The fatal scooter wreck is the second in the past month in Fayetteville, Stout said. He did not have statistics immediately available total number of scooter deaths in the city this year.
Statewide, about 74 people died in wrecks connected with motorcycles, scooters and all terrain vehicles in 2013, according to a Traffic Crash Statistics report. The numbers are the most recent available from the Highway Safety Office of the Arkansas State Police.