By: Richard L. Smith
A Wednesday afternoon dirt bike ride ended in tragedy in Berkeley Township when an 11-year-old girl was killed and an 11-year-old boy was injured in a collision with a pickup truck.
The crash happened at about 12:45 p.m. near Moorage and Sherman avenues, according to information released by Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer.
Authorities said the 11-year-old boy was operating an electric dirt bike northbound on Sherman Avenue with the girl riding as a passenger when the bike entered the intersection and struck the driver’s side of a Ford F-250 traveling westbound on Moorage Avenue.
A preliminary investigation determined that the dirt bike failed to stop at a posted stop sign before entering the intersection, officials said.
The girl was rushed to Community Medical Center in Toms River, where she later died from her injuries.
The boy was transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center for treatment and was later released.
The driver of the pickup truck remained at the scene and showed no signs of impairment, authorities said.
The crash remains under investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Vehicular Homicide Squad