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The heartbroken parents of a 13-year-old Orange County boy who died in an e-bike crash are facing criminal charges for allowing their son to ride the powerful bike illegally — even after he suffered a serious injury in an earlier wreck.
Benson Nguyen was traveling at 43 mph on his E-Moto when he slammed into a concrete light pole in Garden Grove on May 7.
The teen was rushed to UCI Medical Center, where he died. Before the fatal crash, Nguyen had been running red lights, speeding and popping wheelies on the high-powered E-Ride Pro SS 2.0, prosecutors said.
Now, his father, Vu Thanh Nguyen, 56, and mother, Hong Cuc Thi Nguyen, 49, both of Santa Ana, are facing charges over their alleged failure to stop their son from riding the motorcycle illegally.
The boy’s father had even bought him an even faster, more powerful bike despite the teen breaking his leg in a separate accident just six months earlier, according to authorities.
“When parents refuse to hold their children accountable and that refusal to parent results in unspeakable
tragedy, then I have no choice but to hold parents accountable,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer wrote in a release.
The E-Moto Benson was riding is classified as a motorcycle, meaning it requires a driver’s license and proper registration with the DMV.
If convicted on all counts, the boy’s father faces up to six years in California prison, while his mother faces a maximum of one year in county jail.
The charges come as authorities sound the alarm over deadly crashes involving electric bikes and motorcycle-style E-Motos across Southern California.
“More than 125 deaths have been attributed to E-Bikes and E-Motos in the United States… E-Bike and E-Moto injuries are now the number one reason children in Orange County end up in the emergency room, with injuries skyrocketing more than 430% in Southern California in just the last four years,” the release added.
A GoFundMe created for Nguyen has raised over $7,100 of its $7,500 goal.