Two deadly motorcycle crashes involving teens in the San Antonio area just days apart are raising new questions about the risks young riders face on local roads.
San Antonio police said 19-year-old Nathaniel Perez was riding near U.S. 281 and the Interstate 35 interchange early Sunday at a high rate of speed when he hit a highway wall. Police said Perez was thrown from his motorcycle and died at the scene.
Three days earlier in Comal County, the Texas Department of Public Safety said a 17-year-old Smithson Valley student crashed on SH 46 near Stoney Creek. Investigators said the teen was speeding, lost control and crashed into two pickup trucks.
Arsenio De Lara, a motorcycle safety instructor, said speed can quickly turn dangerous. “Speed can be your friend, but it can definitely be your enemy,” De Lara said. He said he got into motorcycle safety work after losing several friends he served with in the Marine Corps to motorcycle crashes. “It’s very unfortunate because they had their whole lives ahead of them,” he said.
De Lara said preventing tragedies starts with riders understanding what they are operating and being honest about their abilities. “Number one, you respect the machine. You respect the engine, you respect the power that it can put out,” he said. “And number two, most important, is that you are realistic about your skills, and you are realistic about your limitations.”
Derrel Simpson, who has been riding since he was 17 years old, said a crash involving a friend changed the way he rides. He said the motorcycle began to drift in Arizona, hit a berm and sent the rider into the air. “I’ve never suffered PTSD, but the rest of that trip stayed with me,” Simpson said.
Simpson said riders often don’t consider that a routine trip could turn fatal. “Nobody gets on their bike thinking it’s gonna be their last ride. So it’s sad for the families, for them, for their friends,” he said.
Both fatalities remain under investigation.