PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — An 18-year-old Park Vista High School student was killed and a 14-year-old boy was rushed to a hospital for emergency surgery after a crash of dirt bikes on a golf course Tuesday, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday.
According to a sheriff's office incident report, the head-on wreck happened at about 5 p.m. at a "non-functioning golf course" at Lyons Road and Lantana Road, east of Wellington.
The sheriff's office said Daniel Munevar, 18, was riding a KTM dirt bike through the grass on the golf course and slammed head-on into a 14-year-old boy on a Honda dirt bike.
Region C Palm Beach County
Parents of dirt bike victim: He was 'great student, great human'
Because of grass and vegetation on the course, the riders didn't see each other until it was too late, the sheriff's office said.
The riders, who were both wearing helmets, were thrown from their dirt bikes.
Munevar was pronounced dead at the scene, while the 14-year-old was taken to Delray Medical Center and underwent emergency surgery. He's currently listed in serious condition.
The principal at Park Vista High School sent a statement to families on Wednesday related to the student's death.
Principal Enrique Vela said he had been in contact with the student's family, offering comfort and condolences. He said grief counselors will be available for students and staff to cope with the tragedy.
This is the second deadly dirt bike crash in Palm Beach County in the past few weeks. Earlier in February, a 13-year-old boy died in Loxahatchee when he crashed into a car on his dirt bike.
At Leap of Faith Motorsports on Dixie Highway in Lantana, owner Reggie Richard says safety gear is key for riders, but so is having the appropriate place to ride these off-road vehicles.
"When I hear of tragedies like this, it just reawakens a need for more safety protocols and more areas that allow people to enjoy a passion that they have," Richard said.
Richard said he's hopeful a motocross project that has been in the works for Palm Beach County for years will come to fruition.
"It's been speculated and talked about at the 20-mile bend out west," he said.
This Facebook group has been tracking the status of the project's development.