Colorado dirt bike crash leaves 1 dead, passenger injured in Aurora

A dirt bike rider was killed and his passenger was critically injured Monday night when they slammed into a pickup truck in Aurora. The crash comes just weeks after the Colorado city approved fines for parents who allow their kids to ride illegal off-road bikes on public streets.

APD say officers were called to East Sixth Avenue and Toledo Street around 7:30 p.m. Monday. The dirt bike was operated by an adult male with an adult female passenger. The dirt bike was heading eastbound on East Sixth Avenue when it struck the side of a Ford F-350 pickup that was making a left turn onto Toledo Street. Both the man and woman were rushed to a nearby hospital. The man later died from his injuries. The woman remains in critical condition.

Investigators say the dirt bike had no lights. The driver of the pickup was uninjured, remained at the scene and is cooperating with the investigation, which is active and ongoing.

Residents who live near the intersection say the crash didn't surprise them.

Susan Bottolfsen, who has lived in the neighborhood since 1964, told CBS Colorado she's watched traffic get faster and louder.

"A lot of people blaze off Sixth Avenue like no one's business," Bottolfsen said. "We've got mini bikes, motorcycles, trucks, cars -- everything. They like to buzz around like nobody's business."

She said the noise and reckless behavior have made her family change their routines.

"My grandson doesn't come out in the front yard. We lock the door from the inside so he can't come out when we're not looking," she said. "You just don't trust anybody anymore."

Bottolfsen said she rarely sees police patrols in her neighborhood and hopes the city will focus more on enforcement.

The fatal crash comes after Aurora City Council approved an ordinance allowing police to fine parents at least $250 if they knowingly permit minors to ride dirt bikes or other off-highway vehicles on public roads.

Councilmember Françoise Bergan, who sponsored the measure, said she's been flooded with complaints about dirt bikes zipping through intersections and shopping centers.

"Over the last three months, I've had a lot of complaints. People describing kids driving recklessly, speeding, even cutting through Southlands Shopping Center," Bergan said. "They're not street-legal to begin with, and I don't think everyone understood that."

Bergan said state and city codes already prohibit off-highway vehicles on public roads, but there was little recourse when minors were caught riding them.

"Police told me they didn't really have any enforcement tools with minors," she explained. "So I drafted an ordinance so we can hold parents responsible for those under 18."

The new law officially takes effect next week, giving officers the authority to cite parents of teen riders.

Bergan said the ordinance was designed for teen safety, but the death of an adult rider underscores the broader danger for anyone riding dirt bikes on city streets.

"They're lower, they're hard to see," she said. "You just don't want to see anything happen."

She noted that many residents have mistaken high-powered off-road bikes for standard e-bikes, which are legal up to certain speed thresholds.

"There's confusion between e-bikes and motorized ones going 30, 40, 50 miles per hour," Bergan said. "Those are not legal."

The city plans to pair enforcement with education, launching a public awareness campaign to make sure parents and riders know the rules.

"It's about giving officers a tool for enforcement, but also continuing education," Bergan said. "We just want everyone to understand these are not street-legal, and we want everyone safe."

APD is asking anyone who witnessed the collision or has dash-camera footage from the area to contact investigators.