Two Teens Die After E-Scooter and E-Motorcycle Crash in Riverside
Two 14-year-old boys have died from injuries suffered after they were struck by a vehicle while riding an electric scooter and an electric motorcycle through a Riverside intersection. The August 25, 2026 collision occurred near Arlington Avenue and Mitchell Avenue.
Both teenagers were initially hospitalized with major injuries following the crash. Riverside police later confirmed that both had died from their injuries.
DAG Law Firm, APC represents people and families in serious and fatal traffic accident cases throughout California. We handle qualifying personal injury and wrongful death matters on a contingency fee basis, which means there are no upfront attorney fees and you do not pay attorney fees unless we win your case. Call (323) 930-2020 to discuss your situation.
What Happened at Arlington and Mitchell Avenues in Riverside?
According to ABC7 Los Angeles, Riverside police confirmed that the two teenagers died after suffering major injuries in the August 25 collision. The crash occurred at approximately 7:46 p.m. at Arlington Avenue and Mitchell Avenue near Rosemary Kennedy Elementary School.
The Riverside Police Department said one teenager was riding an e-scooter while the other was riding an e-motorcycle. According to the department’s preliminary investigation, both riders were traveling southbound on Mitchell Avenue and attempting to cross the intersection when they were struck by a Lexus traveling westbound on Arlington Avenue.
Both teenagers were transported to a hospital with major injuries after the collision. CBS Los Angeles reported that the Lexus driver remained at the scene, was interviewed by investigators, and was not injured.
No arrests had been announced in the latest reporting. The collision remains under investigation, and authorities have not publicly announced a final determination regarding fault or civil responsibility.
Why Intersection Evidence May Be Important in This Crash
People riding scooters, motorcycles, e-bikes, and similar vehicles generally have far less physical protection than occupants of passenger vehicles. They do not have the surrounding passenger compartment, airbags, and other structural protections available to people inside most cars, which can make collisions involving larger vehicles particularly serious.
Injuries in these crashes can include traumatic brain injuries, spinal injuries, broken bones, internal injuries, facial injuries, severe road rash, crush injuries, permanent disabilities, and fatal injuries. Intersections can present additional risks because drivers and riders may be approaching from different directions while attempting to turn, cross, or continue through the same area.
The fact that a vehicle struck a rider does not, by itself, establish who was legally responsible for a collision. Investigators may need to evaluate traffic signals, right-of-way information, vehicle and rider speeds, visibility, lighting conditions, attentiveness, vehicle damage, roadway evidence, witness statements, and any available electronic data.
In this case, police reported that the teenagers were attempting to cross Arlington Avenue when the collision occurred. That information alone does not establish who had the right of way or determine responsibility for the crash, and the Riverside Police Department’s Major Accident Investigation Team is continuing its investigation.
Video and other physical evidence may help investigators reconstruct the sequence of events. Nearby schools, businesses, residences, traffic systems, dashcams, or other vehicles may have cameras capable of showing the position and direction of the vehicles, traffic-signal phases, braking, visibility, or other events leading up to impact.
Physical evidence from the vehicles and roadway may also help investigators understand how the crash occurred. Because some surveillance systems automatically overwrite older footage, locating and preserving available recordings early can become important after a serious or fatal collision.
Potential Wrongful Death Claims and Questions of Responsibility
When someone dies from injuries suffered in a traffic collision, certain surviving family members may potentially have rights under California wrongful death law. Depending on the circumstances, a wrongful death claim may involve funeral and burial expenses, loss of financial support and household services, and the loss of companionship, care, guidance, and support.
A separate survival claim may also be available in certain circumstances for losses or damages belonging to the person who died before death. Whether a wrongful death or survival claim is available depends on the facts, evidence, applicable law, and the people legally entitled to pursue the claim.
Learn more about DAG Law Firm’s California wrongful death representation.
Responsibility in a serious traffic collision is not always an all-or-nothing question. California personal injury and wrongful death matters may involve comparative fault, meaning an investigation can consider the conduct of everyone involved and determine whether more than one person contributed to what occurred.
Depending on the evidence, investigators may consider whether a driver had sufficient time to see the riders, who had the right of way, whether speed contributed to the collision, whether visibility was limited, whether traffic controls were followed, and whether anyone involved had an opportunity to avoid the crash. Even if one person’s conduct contributed to a collision, that does not necessarily resolve whether another person may also bear responsibility.
No final allocation of fault has been publicly announced in the Riverside investigation. The available reporting should therefore not be interpreted as establishing negligence by the driver, either rider, or any other person or entity.
Preserving Evidence After a Serious or Fatal Traffic Collision
Riverside Police’s Major Accident Investigation Team responded to the scene and assumed responsibility for investigating the crash. A serious collision investigation may involve roadway measurements, vehicle inspections, witness interviews, photographs, video recordings, electronic vehicle data, traffic-control information, physical debris, and other evidence relevant to reconstructing what happened.
CBS reported that police initially said it was unknown whether drugs or alcohol played any role in the crash. That statement should not be interpreted as evidence that impairment occurred; it reflected only that investigators had not made a determination at that stage of the investigation.
Families affected by a catastrophic or fatal collision may also have an interest in preserving information separate from the police investigation. Relevant materials can include police reports, photographs and videos, surveillance footage, witness information, medical records, insurance correspondence, vehicle data, damaged vehicles or riding equipment, helmets, protective equipment, and relevant electronic communications or location information.
Families should also use care before signing insurance releases or other documents that may affect potential claims. Evidence can become harder to obtain as time passes, particularly if video is overwritten, vehicles are repaired, or witnesses become difficult to locate.
California wrongful death lawsuits generally have a two-year filing deadline, although exceptions can shorten or extend the applicable period. Different and substantially shorter requirements can apply when a government or public entity may potentially bear responsibility, including situations in which a government claim must sometimes be presented within six months.
Nothing in the available reporting establishes that the City of Riverside, a school, another public agency, or any other government entity bears responsibility for this collision. Even when the formal filing deadline appears distant, preserving potentially important evidence early can still be valuable.
How DAG Law Firm Can Help After a Fatal Traffic Accident
Fatal traffic collisions can require careful review of police records, witness accounts, surveillance footage, vehicle damage, electronic data, insurance coverage, roadway evidence, and the sequence of events immediately before impact. Evaluating those materials can help determine whether the circumstances may support a wrongful death or other civil claim.
DAG Law Firm, APC represents people and families in qualifying serious injury and wrongful death matters throughout California. Learn more about our California car accident representation and wrongful death practice.
If your family has lost a loved one in a California traffic accident, call (323) 930-2020 to discuss the circumstances.
You do not pay attorney fees unless we win your case. DAG Law Firm handles qualifying personal injury and wrongful death matters on a contingency fee basis with no upfront attorney fees.
This article is based on information released by the Riverside Police Department and publicly available reporting concerning the August 25, 2026 collision and the September 15 report that both teenage riders later died from their injuries. The investigation remains ongoing, and reported facts may change as additional information becomes available. Nothing in the currently available information establishes negligence, criminal wrongdoing, or the final allocation of civil responsibility by the driver, the riders, a public entity, or any other person or entity. DAG Law Firm, APC does not represent anyone identified in the reports and has omitted the victims’ names for privacy. This article is attorney advertising and is provided for general informational purposes only.
