Dirt bike crash kills 16-year-old in Niagara Region

A 16-year-old male has died, following a dirt bike crash that occurred on July 21 on a trail near Port Colborne.

A distress call was made to the Niagara Regional Police Service (NRPS), on Friday evening from Sherwood Forest Lane and Omer Ave.

Police say they discovered the teen,  in critical condition with life-threatening injuries.

The teen now identified as Connor Kenney, was provided medical attention on-site and was subsequently transported by Niagara EMS to an out-of-region hospital for further treatment.

Despite life-saving efforts, Kenney succumbed to his injuries in the hospital, on July 24.

While the cause of the accident still remains unknown, preliminary investigation revealed that the teen had been operating a dirt bike at the time of the accident, NPRS said in an email to inNiagaraRegion.com.

Police say they failed to put out a news release earlier due to an ‘internal notification process error’.

“We are conducting an internal review and are putting steps in place for the future,” NPRS added.

Support has been pouring in for Kenney, who was set to go to Grade 11 at Port Colborne High School this year.