13-Year Old Motorcycle Racer Killed At Crash at Indy. Are the Parents to Blame?

Parents need to provide reasonable boundaries, and maintain awareness of their kids activities. Smothering teens in a protective shell does neither teen nor parent a service. It will lead to rebellion. A dead 18 or 19 year old is just as great a tragedy,

More kids are killed by drunk and/or distracted drivers than all sporting accidents combined every year, no matter the risk in the sport. Every time a person, young or old walks out their front door, rides in a bus, gets in a car, flies on a plane, or even walks down the sidewalk there is risk. Kids have gotten shot at school, and disappeared off of the streets. We don't lock our kids in the house to protect them from every day dangers that are out of our control, so why should we discourage our kids to strive to be the best they can at what they enjoy, when the risk is a fraction of the risk of just getting through every day.

Listen to your own words:

But would **I** rather have my kid take a chance and be courageous (and possibly die in the process) or have them feel unfulfilled later? **I** don’t know. But **I** can’t imagine ever burying my own child, even if they died chasing a dream. My child is still dead. And **I** can’t imagine that **I** wouldn’t kill own myself with guilt, constantly questioning if **I** made the right decision

This is not supposed to be about **You**, it is supposed to be about growing your children.

White the death of a child is tragic, we cannot be a society that bubble wraps our children until) or even past) their age of maturity, and then expect them to be able to adjust.

Is motorcycle racing right for children that age, or more to the point those two children? ... I do not know ... we either have to trust parents to have the best interest in letting their children grow at their heart, or we have to decide that no parent can be trusted and remove all children to institutional care. Current laws apparently allow that activity, so as a society, we have not decided that that activity is too dangerous, why blame the parents for allowing it. Now, if there were signs that the child was not prepared for, or pushed into the activity - this is a different issue.

More children die each year playing football, or riding atvs, or even in backyard swimming pools. We want children to be able to safely participate in activities that grow their characters, and should take the necessary precautions to make those activities as safe as possible. The risk for tragic accidents is always there, even for mundane activities like climbing a tree - unless we refuse to allow children to grow.

Each child is a individual and should be treated as such. If the parents did not push the child in this sport then they should not feel guilty. He needed the excitement and if they refused to let him drive, who knows, maybe he would have looked for it elsewhere. Only parents who push their kids into activities such as football, beauty contests etc. should feel guilty. It was just a tragic accident.

Hate to say this but I think your posters here are all a bunch of reality show wannabes and extremely irresponsible parents. Reading these posts illustrates to me why our world is going to hell. These parents seem unable to comprehend what an age-appropriate activity is. Why don't we just let 12 year-olds race cars? How about boats, planes and trains? Maybe they should be allowed to drink alcohol and smoke as well. We wouldn't want them to live unchallenged, boring lives, would we? What these idiots don't understand is that these kids ARE bored or they wouldn't be pursuing such meaningless activities. What about teaching or modeling charitable works and sacrificing your personal safety for a meaningful cause?

Kids have a right to spread their wings and try to figure out what they want to do with their lives. Instead of sitting there whining about whether or not the parents are responsible, consider this, The kids were running a race at indy. Do you really think the race organizers just said one day...HEY!!! lets through a bunch of 12 and 13 year olds on bikes and lets see what happens....NO NO NO!!!. These kids are trained and they're trained hard for this very reason. Accidents do happen and I'm sure that the parents spent $1000's of dollars just in racing suits alone to make sure their child was safe. The child went down and he has saftey pads all over his suit to make sure that when he hits the asphalt he's protected. The one thing parents or race organizers CANNOT DO is control what another rider does out on the track. This is a very tragic and sad time for this deceased child, but I bet you he died doing something he loved and I respect and admire his parents for standing behind their son's wishes and being able to afford something like this. Trust me, I know dads that work full time second jobs to afford their childs racing habits. It sure beats the moms and dads that push their children into doing some sort of sport like football or baseball when the kid has absolutly no talent for it. May god be with these families for their losses.

If your child wanted to jump off the roof of an office building would you let them "chase their dreams"? Why not? Because parents are supposed to know where to draw the line until the child is old enough to know for themselves. People are always trying to abdicate responsibilities these days.

(that was "meaningful LIFE" sorry for the typo.

My daughter rides horses and I am a Registered Nurse who never wanted to wind up in the emergency room in the hospital I worked with my daughter if she ever got hurt. I felt I would be criticized for letting her do such a potentially dangerous sport especially if competition was involved. I would think of it all the time that could I live with the guilt if she was hurt or killed because I let her do this. I don't have the answer either, I think it has to be decided by parents and that they are aware of the risks involved with any type of "dangerous sport". We cannot keep our children in the closet, we have to let them try different things. But it is not for every child, and sometimes we have to draw the line at times depending on the child and the parents being "comfortable" letting kids be kids. Thank you

Well if its not racing its football dont matter what sport u play in u can die from it i think its time that people stop tryin to blame the parents for what the child wants to do n be in the future

I say dont stop here. Go after the parents that are not in control of their children. TAth leave them wandering the streets at nite, dont feed their kids, allow the to engage in underage drinking, drugs, sex, etc....These kids are at a much higher risk of death or injury than any of the physically active, sport driven, adrenaline driven junkies kids ever will be. Proof is in the ERs...proof is in the morgues. Proof is in society...I see more 'lost' kids and hear more about kids being shot, over dosing, obesity complications etc...than I do from these other high risk activities that this youngster passed away from.

@Anonymous said Bet there were a lot more fatalities in football and baseball last year than there were in motorcycle racing. Can we keep them in a bubble? Not if we want them healthy strong adults.

You need to consider the statistical incidence of fatalities or serious injuries, which are far more likely in a sport like motorcycle racing than football or baseball. I agree that parents shouldn't raise their children in a bubble, but it's a parent's responsibility to exercise mature judgment when a child wants to undertake an ultrahazardous activity at too young an age.

Any loss of life is tragic so this one is sad. I would say that I don’t feel the parents are to blame. They supported their son in what made him happy. He wasn’t street racing, he was doing what he loved legally. I say don’t blame the parents for supporting their son and standing behind him as he went for his dreams. There are plenty of parents that that do not support their kids in anything the kid wants to do. If a kid has a dream to do something that makes him / her happy and has the opportunity to go for it, parents should encourage and support. Even in this tragic event, the parents knew the dangers, but name anything in life that doesn’t have dangers.

People die. What's the point of living a long life, protected and insulated by others if it's boring and activity-free? Why is living to 50 better than living to 13? I would let my kids race without question.

How many children die at school shootings? How many children die from accidents at home? How many children die from BICYCLE accidents? How many children die when their parents buy them a CAR and they go out racing, drinking, impressing their friends, etc... ? How many children die from accidents on the family farm? How many children die from sports injuries? Don't single out motorcycling as dangerous when many other activities that children participate in are also dangerous. If you participate in activites with higher risks, then you have to be prepaired for the consequenses. The parents that should be punished are the ones who let their children ride dirt bikes, ATVs and go karts on public streets.

I think you really should stop judging people. This article of yours is disgusting. We can always ask smart what-if questions later. The parents chose to let their child live his dreams which is extremely giving. Saying no is always easy. The parents are to be commended for their free spirits and not be blamed for their child's death.

In some societies and/or cultures, 12 years old is the age when one enters adulthood. There's a pretty thick line between treating our offspring like adults vs. prolonging their childhood into the late teen years.

In the U.S., we expect virtually nothing from our "children" until they are in their third decade of life. I would much rather have my son or daughter pursuing a dream rather than growing fat and stupid sitting in front of the TV playing games or watching insipid shows.

My sister just lost her husband and 9 year old son to a car accident where an elderly driver hit the gas instead of the brake and smashed into them. Life doesn't come with a guarantee. You need to live each day as if it were your last and enjoy the ride though. I let my kids take gymnastics and karate. I'll be buying them a gas powered dune buggy for Christmas this year that they can ride on trails while my husband and I are on a 4-wheeler. (My little ones almost 8 and just turned 6 btw).

Sure, take precautions: wear a helmet and protective gear but live. Live your dreams. Have fun during the doing instead of just at the end goal.

Unfortunate for our children, that the death of common sense has put them in harms way. Any parent that feels allowing their child to be in a dangerous life threatening event, lacks common sense. Nothing is worth allowing your child to die for it.

I have always believed in letting my children pursue their own ambitions. Not my ambitions, their ambitions. But I also believe that to the extent possible, risks must be mitigated. My own children were all motorcycle riders from a very young age (off-road) and they had the best protective gear and received good riding instructions. Then you have to let them go. Shit happens, whether you ride a bike or stand up in a bathtub. As a parent my job is to minimize the risk and let them go.

Definitelly. This is an irresponsible act to allow a kid 13 years old to compete in a motorcicle race with adults. This trend of making kids adults has been seen in many situations that endanger youth this age and even younger. Last week there was a news that a 13 year old girl would go around the globe in a sailboat. This is stupid and outrageous and anything that happens to the kids the parents must be held accountable for challenging them to be involved in dangerous sports. Last year there was another kid that planned to fly around the world in an airplane. This is just incredible how irresponsible parents get. The overchallenging of kids to do extreme exports and even encourage , insist, challenge , and punish kids if they don't do what parents want happens everyday with kids involved in all kinds of activities , even in art, just like what happened to Michael Jackson whom his father treatened , punished, and urged him to do what he wanted just like a marrionette.

Clearly irresponsible parenting. Kids don't know limits or recognize the serious risks of their actions. They are still little larvae. As adults it is our role to protect and teach them so that they will grow to be responsible adults themselves. That is a parent's role. Our place is not to be their "buddy", which is a mistake a LOT of parents are making these days.

This article was written by a wussy parent. Do you force your child to take sponge baths because the shower and bathtub are dangerous? Walk to school because the car is unsafe and might crash? Get a life. I ca't believe you were paid for this tripe.

We honor Annie Oakley as a national hero in our histories. She was a kid that went off with a gun into the woods by herself. Kids fall out of trees and die. They run into traffic and die. They get sick and die. None of us want our children to die, but if they are going to die, shouldn't they live first.

hundreds of kids drop dead on the football field and basketball court every year in this country alone. In 42 years, this is the first time I have heard of a kid dying on a race track. Surely there have been a couple more under various circumstances over the years. But, given the totality of it all, I would put my kid in a racing vehicle on a track LONG before letting him / her play high school sports; any day. He / she would be FAR less likely to suffer major injury or death. Those competing at the level of the kids in this article are the very best there are. They KNOW what they are doing, they are very good at it, and they take every imaginable precaution to avoid incidents like this one from occurring. Ya just can't prepare for fate; for the hand life deals you. 10's of thousands of kids die in car crashes alone in this country every year. Are we gonna put there parents in jail too. (of course some deserve to be in jail because they were drunk when they crashed and killed their, or someone else's kid but thats not what we're talking about here)

Wow!,
That's a tough call without all the details, I know when I participate in auto racing events I have to sign a waiver that I understand the activity is potentially dangerous and life threatening.
When I was a kid, when I entered a bull riding contest one year my Dad yanked my entry because he felt like the "bulls" that were stocked for us were not safe for us to ride, he was right 2 kids received concussions and some major facial injuries, the rest of the parents yanked their kids as well, the stock company said they were not sure how the animals were to ride since they the longhorn variety, it turns out they were not. Here is a definition of such. It was a horrible thing for one of the families living with a child and then adult suffering from moderate head tramu dementia.

Child endangerment: placing a child in a potentially harmful situation, either through negligence or misconduct.
Reckless endangerment: A person commits the crime of reckless endangerment if the person recklessly engages in conduct which creates a substantial risk of serious physical injury to another person. “Reckless” conduct is conduct that exhibits a culpable disregard of foreseeable consequences to others from the act or omission involved. The accused need not intentionally cause a resulting harm or know that his conduct is substantially certain to cause that result. The ultimate question is whether, under all the circumstances, the accused’s conduct was of that heedless nature that made it actually or imminently dangerous to the rights or safety of others.

This is just as bad as taking a 10 year old hunting.

Writer should go find out what is the real meaning of "begs the question" ...

You can't expect to prevent the unexpected. You could be watching your child play soccer, and he/she gets accidently kicked in the head or chest and tragically dies. The problem I have with THIS tragedy is these young children are racing a motorized vehicle, yet they aren't old enough to drive a car. This type of activity should be banned for unregistered drivers. Children have enough ways to get hurt as it is. Am I being unreasonable?

This is terrible tragedy especially when kids are involved. Motorcycle racing is a VERY DANGEROUS sport for Adult or kids racers. I am certain that all parents and kids involved in this sport are well aware of the consequences. Unfortunately, we did read a lot of reports about this kid when he was an aspiring star but we now the journalists are playing the blame game on the parents!! Bringing a kid into this is a huge gamble... As much as KID are loved sheltered and lied to I applaud those parents who have the guts (foresight) to let their kid explore and participate fully into activities that interest them and not let them stay at home watching TV and learning to become judgmental (jealous) individuals like our so-called journalist here.

We should all sit safely on our couches and watch TV, thats the safest.

Stupid parents. Kid can't ride the bike at a sane speed on a public road, but is allowed to go insane speeds in a pack of other bikes also going at insane speed? Should be a minimum age for this sport.

dawg. you need to pick up some grammar skillz before you trot out your wares on the infoweb. it should be to "be careful"...anything in the quotes, the person said. this is a directive and as such the "to" needs to be out of quotes.

let people let their kids soar. If they fail, Darwin at work. If they succeed, same thing.

It's illegal for a 13-year old to drive a motorcycle. So, why was is ok for either of those pre/barely teens to be on that track? In my mind, the tragedy is the fault of both sets of parents, as well as the owner of the track who allowed them to race on it. There will be times in the lives of parents when they will suffer the death of a child. At least, when my child died I knew there was nothing I did that contributed to or caused his death.

Thousands of kids race, all across the world. They start off with (very fast) racing Karts as young as 5, and move to open wheel in their early to mid teens. Others go the Motorcycle route.

Less kids die racing then probably any other sport out there. Accidents happen. I've been riding since I was a child, and if my parents had tried to take that away from me because it was dangerous, I would have resented them for life.

And of course those of you who know nothing about racing wont believe this, but its far, far safer than riding a motorcycle on the street.

Im glad none of you people who hate racing were my parents. We would have had some very lively and interesting fights.

That's awful.

One of my kids dying is too horrible to contemplate. That being said - you can't protect your kids from everything.

It's kind of an interesting article for me as someone who loved motorcycles and came from a super over-protective mom. Let me tell you; she would have never let me done that. Never, ever. I pleaded and begged.

So instead I found ways to street race bikes as I got older. Obviously I survived, but I can tell you that my odds would've been much higher on the track. Much higher. No running from the cops, no darting in and out of cars, no unexpected and sudden distractions and dangers. My base technique and riding ability would have been a lot stronger as well.

Particularly with stuff like this, I would caution you to entertain your kid's interests. They're going to grow up anyways & believe me, they'll find the ways to do the things that they want to do. At least by being involved you can provide as much protection as possible. I laugh at over-protective mothers of sons...you've no idea what goes on behind your back. None; especially as we get older. Listen and be involved in their interests, even if you're too scared to watch sometimes. They'll love your involvement and your relationship will be better for it.

I think the great exception to this is the people that push their kids to do things so that they can live vicariously through them. You especially see this in Dad's of young sons with sports. Let 'em live their own lives - teach them how to be good at it & show them the type of dedication that it would take to make something of it if that's what they want to do. Push and motivate them for their interests, but keep yourself and your own ego out of it! Always hard to do...especially with competitive sports...

I agree. The government must put a stop to this. If they can save one kid every 10 years or so from dying, its' worth it. They should also prevent all kids from ever stepping into a car, with or without their parents. That will save, guessing here, about 20,000 kids every 10 years. And of course, lots of people die in their bed, so government regulations like this would save about (guessing again), 40 million lives every 10 years. Better yet, the primary cause of death worldwide is from being born. Forced birth control for 100% of the population.

Sheltering our children from any source of potential danger... THAT is the most dangerous thing here.

There's a difference between riding a motorcycle around the yard and racing at Indy at the age of 13. The parents are irresponsible and are at fault.

I still think we are the adults and we need to set boundaries. It's not an all-or-nothing position. There needs to be balance and boundaries. I think the extremely permissive parents may sometimes be trying to live through their children's experiences. I will not keep them in a bubble, but I will play my role as parent.

Yeah thats what we need someone else telling us how to raise are kids. I am sure the the kid didnt buy the bike with his money. So the parents weighed the options and decided to let him do it. Who are you try and pass judgement. The goverment cant tell me not to let my child ride a motorcyle.

My son hunts deer and bear with both his rifle and bow. He shoots comp with firearms and archery equipment. He rides dirt bikes, quads, and is at home on top of a horse in the wilderness far from any roads. He doesn't know what he can't do. He believes that if it is out there he can accomplish it. Can you say this about your 15 year old child?????

Before you summon up your sense of righteous indignation and/or moral outrage, consider this: how would your response be affected if the accident had occurred in the course of: a bicycle race, an equestrian event, canoeing or kayaking or (as one commenter already mentioned) climbing a tree?

Yes, there are common sense rules that need to be followed. Children are not small adults, they are children. It doesnt mean we have to put them in a bubble and it doesnt mean we have to allow them to skydive off Mount Everest.

This is the best you can come up with for a story? All motorcycle racers start out even younger than this kid did. Its something their family does. No kid just says, "Dad/Mom, I want to race motorcycles" out of the blue and gets their way. They are born into it usually. It was a sad day, I was attending the race that weekend. Shit happens, move on.

They could slip in the bathtub and drown too. There's no way to protect someone from everything that could possibly ever happen except to just kill them right now. But, there is no need to temp fate either.

why would the parents be to blame?...if he was winning they would praise them...its a sport no one is to blame

i think a person should be over 18 to participate in motor vehicle sports. or at least 16 and have a driver license. there was talk about this kid a few months ago and the parents would not take responsibility. parents need to be responsible no matter how good a kid is at something. we in the US put too much on success, money & fame.

how many died from car accidents, football, basketball ,the list can go on fot evar accidents happen everyday we can't lock them up. i feel sorry for both families. i was riding bramaha bulls when is i 12 and for that i am a stronger person for doing so.

“to be careful”?
I wouldn’t kill own myself with guilt
If something, tragically went wrong, would it have been worth it?

Stuff like this happens. It's just how it goes. As tragic as it may be, it happens. You can't make a new rule because every once in a while tragedy happens. You can't predict the future. How many times did the boy race without error at high speeds? 10000% of the time it's all good. If he had just broken an arm or something, he'd be right back up on his bike a year later. Professionally trained marathon runners have dropped dead mid-race, do you tell your kids to not run marathons?

It's not the parents to blame, it's obvious they should see where they bought the gas for the motorcycle, there is apparently something wrong with it that made the motorcycle become unstable and crash. They should sue the oil company that made the gas. That's where the blame is at. Nobody else had anything to do with it.

Racing (any type of motorsport) is a dangerous sport!!! There should be an age limit on the type of racing a child under 18 is allowed to participate in... I have seen 14 year old racing in a what I would consider to be an adults only type of racing because of the danger associated with it! This should not be allowed! Rules regarding age should be put into place!!

I know nobody has posted to this sight for a while... but I will tell you this.... IF YOU LOSE A CHILD THE ENTIRE FAMILY WILL SUFFER. Any thing that can take a precious life away should be avoided... Drugs, Alcohol, Dangerous Activities. I'm not a religious nut... but I can tell you this if you can redirect a person away from the choices of danger and spark their religion on things of GREATER VALUE to their lives and live for the thrill of Honoring our LORD and Believing that is the most Thrilling and Fantastic thing to do in this life.... there would be far less SORROW and grief and souls would be saved from the HELL of this world, from the Hell of the senseless loss of a child, Hell of living your life with Guilt for maybe causing or being able to prevent such a tragedy. Their is more Glory in Honoring our Father than Hitting a Home Run on a baseball field. Amen

Yes, it is still up to parents to make decisions like these for their 13 yr olds, as they lack the skills needed to understand the difference from something wild like riding a rollercoaster, to something stupid, like this.The promoters themslves don't care, its all a way to make more money and expand their audience. Many of them would personally never let their OWN children engage in this. This is no different to telling your children to avoid drugs, even though their friends are pressureing them to do it..As adults and parents, that's what called being responsible..!

This is a tough one and I understand the mixture of emotions. My stand as a mother and grandmother, however, is mostly to let your child's dreams come true. Children, as we know, are going to do things behind our back whether we like it or not. I would rather have them in a regulated, as-safe-as-possible environment, with the proper safety gear, than in some back alley with no helmet and a "joint" for courage.

My heart goes out to these people.

Get real! Compare the number of football, baseball, and basketball injuries and deaths to motor sports deaths and see which one needs to be addressed. Kids die all the time during Spring training and two-a-days. How many kids have died on car and motorcycle racetracks in the past year and how many have died on the footbal field in the same period?

Sunderland. The young boater's name is Abby Sunderland.

MY 1st thought on this was to say how irresponsible the parents were in allowing there child to do this... then I sat back and thought. I am 32 now and WISH my parents would have let me do certain things when I was younger. Obviously the child wanted to do this... this is not the kind of sport that parents can just force the child into. Rather than saying what if they didnt allow him... how about we praise them for being parents who allowed there child to live his dream. As sad as it is that he died, he died doing what he wanted to do. It is no consolation to the parents and I only hope that they are not sitting at home blaming themselves.

Accidents happen no matter what you do. Kids can falla nd serously hurt themselves just by tripping over their own feet and cracking thier heads on concrete sidewalks...that doesn't mean we never let our kids walk again and tie them to a chair in their room. Yes some things are riskier than others, but you just have to take all procautions available. I'm sure the kid had his helmet on with body protecting pads...but there is only so much you can do. Freak accidents happen. It's a terrible things, but never letting kids experience things is terrible too. If we all overly careful, nothing would ever be accomplished. Electricity would never have been discovered, we would never have xray machines or cars. All things come with some kind of risk for injury. We just have to do what we can to prevent it and let God take care of the rest. Praying for his family and friends. So hard to see such a young life gone.

Comparing motorcycle racing to football or other sports is . . pretty silly. I don't know the numbers, but it is like saying that car driving is more dangerous then serving in IRAQ, because. . .more people are killed in the car. Yeah, that isn't a fair comparison. I'm betting motorcyle racing incidence per 100,000 is a lot higher/more dangerous then other sports.

apparently if you tell it how it is you post gets deleted.
my problem is the feminization of american boys. We have became a nation of sissy's...
No dodgeball at school, No Cart Racing, Laws for kids to where helmets, now in some places kids have to where masks to play base ball. My son can't even play catch with his friends at school. He started riding dirt bikes (50cc gas) at 3. and plays foot ball on a competitive league because the nanny's that took over popwarner destroyed it.
This a horrible acciden't but lets look at statistics. More kids are killed injured or mamed by climbing trees, riding skateboards, kidnapped, mollested. I attest these racers are protected more than any mommy network could provide for them.

No - Other people shouldn't Blame the Parents. The Parents are blaming themselves enough as it is. The problem with this world is that other people uninvolved think that it's their right to comment and judge on the actions of others. And when it comes to Death, it should be left alone to the bereaved family that has enough to deal with as it is!

No - Other people shouldn't Blame the Parents. The Parents are blaming themselves enough as it is. The problem with this world is that other people uninvolved think that it's their right to comment and judge on the actions of others. And when it comes to Death, it should be left alone to the bereaved family that has enough to deal with as it is!

Why do you even have to play the blame game with people who are already suffering? Lousy way
to make a living, I'm thinking.

Parents who allow children to engage in dangerous sports know the risks but live through their children's adventures.

Thanks to them there is less competition for jobs for the rest of us who manage to make it to adulthood..

I feel that I am completely responsible for making sure that my son 1) makes it to adult age, 18 years old and 2) I will help him get that first degree. Until that time, I let him know when an action is dangerous and there is nothing that I will allow him to do that is so dangerous it could cost him his life...if he wants to do it when he's 18 and can pay for it that's his prerogative..at least I will have known I did my part. You can't protect a child from accidents (and yes some can be deadly) but you should weigh the risks. Comparing motorcycle racing to sports like football, basketball, etc. is ridiculous..its comparing apples to oranges.

Why does blame have to be laid in every instance of death? Probably for the same reason every death is a "tragedy"... It was an accident, move on with it...

Ask any Doctor or nurse who see the injuries and deaths and they will say that children that young cannot handle the speed of the bikes. The children's bodies are not developed enough to handle the bikes and speed.

All these fat kids running around and still time to worry about racing. Amazing.

I would let my child do the things they dreamed of doing. We have to remember that the children died doing something they loved doing. They died happy.

Parents put off by this seem pretty selfish to me. Are you really worried about your child's safety, or are you more worried about how you would be affected after a possible tragedy? For those who say kids should be doing something more meaningful with their lives, I say you too are selfish. Life is risky, better to stare that risk in the face overcome it and become a better human being because of it...regardless of whether it's a stupid stunt or something "meaningful".

My father is a retired pathologist and as such is familiar with most causes of death. I heard it all when I grew up. But, I rode motorcycles for years, and have been lucky that the wrecks I've been were not very harmful to me. Still, I came close plenty of times. Some things are just more dangerous than others, and if I had kids I'd direct them towards difficult but intellectually demanding activities that would help them grow as independent individuals. Racing motorcycles would be at the bottom of the list, a child should not do doing such dangerous riding. It's almost a guarantee of injury when something goes wrong and at highway illegal speeds it's almost a guarantee that something will go wrong.

All of us that are parents reach that point with our children and have to decide how much we let them fly on their own but even more important, when are they ready to take that first flight. There is no easy answer and a lot depends on the emotional maturity of the child. My parent's were very overprotective and sheltered my siblings and I from the world. I have always been more fearful than adventurous even though there is so much I wish I had done and experienced. All you can really do is make the best decision possible at the time and life will take it from there. The only real regrets in life come from poor decision making, the rest we just can never really know for sure if things would have turned out any differently otherwise.

This was this child's dream. His parents let him live it. Is don't think you can place blame on that.

Life is an stream of choices: One person decides to text while driving and another decides to rocket into the intersection (without looking) the split second the light turns green...BLAM ! - another statistic, a broken heart, a wrecked faimly. Accidents don't just happen, they are caused by the many choices we make everyday... and sometimes the consequences arrive in micro seconds. In the words of a saged old beer drinker, "Choose wisely my friends." God's speed to you all !

I don't have an opinion because I know nothing about motorcycle racing. If there are safety precautions and the children are properly trained - then it was a fluke accident like any other. My mother didn't let me wear contact lenses until I was 16 because she thought I'd go blind -- irrational fear based on lack of education. I don't want to make that kind of mistake and keep my child from living life to the fullest. As you say, they could get killed playing football or crossing the street.

At least this youth died doing something he loved, how much can be said for the hundreds of kid every year who die on the street because their parents don't do anything for them or give a crap about them? I know, a a parents, if my boy ever had to go I would hope it would be doing something he loved, instead of a stupid act like drunk driving. Yes, the accident is tragic, I feel horrible for the parents, but at least it wasn't even more tragic and his life wasn't snuffed out because of some kind of gang violence etc that most unstructured youth get involved in these days.

I raced motorcycles from the age of 10. By the time I was 13 I was clearing 100 ft long jumps in excess of 50 mph, all the while in a field of adults. I was not a strong basketball, baseball, or football player; however I gained SO MUCH confidence from racing, and beating, grown men it was more than worth the risk. I am 27 now, and could not imagine how sheltered, lonely, and socially weak I would be if my Mother refused to allow me to risk life and limb in order to gain self respect. From a relatively ineffective and unintelligent public school I gained acceptance, and eventually my degree, from a top 20 university. I NEVER would have had the gall to attend a school that was such a challenge, nor would I be 27 turning six figures, had I been forced to take the safe path. Let your kids take risk; the risk of them dying is worth it; considering the high probability they'll be boring and ineffective as adults if you don't.

parents need to be parents! NOT Friends. 18 years you have the AUTHORITY... to tell them what they can or can do. What's so hard about that 'common' fact. If you raised them like little brats from the beginning then you will have teenage brats. These parents need to take responsibility on their decision that cause the death of their children an the RESPONSIBILITY from our laws!

This racer was on a regulated course, in the proper gear, with a safety crew, and everyone else on the track going in the same direction. Sports have risks. Walking across the street has risks. Sitting at home getting fat and lazy has risks. This kid was a participant in life, not a spectator. I am glad that he lived among us for awhile, even if his time was cut short. Having lost family myself, I share in his parents' loss.

The parents are definitely not to blame. It was a tragic accident that happened, nothing more. From related reports, standard safety precautions were taken. This stuff doesn't happen every day, and it's still safer than a lot of other things that parents commonly allow their children to do. Insinuating that the parents even 'might' be to blame is just insulting, and I don't even have kids.

If I'm not mistaken, driver's licenses are issued only at or after age 16- presumably because it was determined that children below that age are not developed enough to handle the challenge of driving safely in traffic. To put 12 & 13 year olds on hi-performance motorcycles is insanity.

They ALL Knew the risks....Unfortunately......It ended tragically!!!!!....My sympathies!!!!!!!

A ship that stays in port is always safe but that is not what ships were built for.

Good Luck with that ! We live in a world of "pushing-the-envelope". Always amazes me how parents can come up with tons of money to get their kids these expensive toys. Their only justification is that it keeps the kids occupied. We are going to have injuries (and sadly-deaths) in these fast paced challenges. We develope tracks and equipment so that we can go faster and then blame and sue when things go wrong. We spend more money protecting ourselves from each other.

It is not even legal for these kids to be driving WTF is wrong with these people?!?!

In the 15th century 13 year olds were men and serving as soldiers in armies, as farmers, as priests, as heads of households. Adolescence as we know and define it is a contemporary phenomena first identified as a 'developmental stage' in 1904. Before that, the division was childhood and adulthood. We will be seeing a LOT more of this discussion about the teen years due to political leaders wanting to undo child labor laws, cut school funding, lower and eliminate minimum wages.

Im sure their were safety measures in place to keep all ages as safe as possible. It is heartbreaking to lose a child but we cant keep them locked up under a rock. That will just make them HATE us.

If it truly is the child's decision, as long as they are well informed and know of all the risks. It makes sense for the parent to allow it. It's personal choice. Besides, if the parent doesn't think their child has the mentality or capability of focus that it takes to be involved in a life threatening sport, they will be living with the guilt for the rest of their mortal lives anyway. Accidents happen, this is the first time it has occurred in the existence of the races, there's a first time for everything. Yes, it is tragic, but it is just another 15min of fame for a couple of broken hearts. There are so many people in this world today, that we're all so busy focusing on everything around us and don't see things for what they really are. Life's so fast paced today because of technology, and with it comes the downfalls. If this accident happened 20 years ago, we wouldn't be hearing about it. With the news, television, internet, and smart phones the world is at our fingertips, but we can't quite grasp it.

First my condolences to both families - prayers are being sent your way. But I know this! These parents loved their kids enough to spend every spare minute in their lives to pursuing an activity the kids loved. They were off the streets, learning life's lessons of winning and losing, of teamwork and individual pursuit of success. Where are these questions everytime a teenager is shot and killed on our streets doing nothing (which is a shame) or doing evil ( which is worse). Have no regrets!

Great talents any endeavor often start their vocations at a very early age. When children demonstrate ability, good parents should encourage and nuture that talent. Some children show a proclivity for dangerous activities. It is up to the parents to decide when those children should be (if ever) permitted to practice those activities, knowing that the longer they delay permission, the less likely the talent is likely to be fully realized.

Fact is that people should be in more control of their senses and help young ones to get to the age of 18, then they can make their own decisions. Think about it, many raise their children to the age of 18 and then encourage them to enlist in the military. Why would someone willing put their adult child, whom they helped with growing pains and then some, in harms way, at any time? I see an awful waste of young lives and talent lost to unthinking individuals. Life is to precious to put in harms way, on purpose.

no, I am a 13 year old dirt bike rider,but I race without getting hurt.He was just in the wrong spot at the wrong time.

Being a parent who has lost my 17 year old son (18 years ago), is a tragedy that no parent wants to ever have to experience. The guilt of "what if" never leaves. The only comfort I finally got was knowing that God chooses us to be a parent and that our children are on "loan". It took a while, but realizing that God was the one who called my son back home and that He also GAVE his only son, I finally was able to realize how lucky I was to have such a wonderful son for 17 years. It sure was better than not having him in my life!

The auto accident was not his fault - he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I'm so glad that his parents allowed him to buy his motorcycle a year prior - there was one condition - he had to always wear a helmet! I'm so glad that he was able to "spread his wings" and try several different sports! I'm so glad that he was able to experience anything that he wanted to do and that we all were able to enjoy together!

As parents, we can try to protect our children the best we can. We can choose to not allow them to participate in anything - causing them health problems by only allowing them to stay inside the home and play video games all day! What difference is it to allow our children to experience life or decide to be "over protective"? For all anyone knows, is that why there are so many children in gangs because of no guidance as to what they can do with their time?

I only wished my son was able to enjoy his plans instead of losing his life before he arrived to begin his "fun"! A parent is never supposed to bury our children - but some of us have no choice! Not only is it horrible to bury your child, but it also effects the family - after 18 years, my family has finally fallen apart! We all grieve in our own way. The younger children blame the parents for losing their sibling. The spouse blames the other for giving the permission to go. After 18 years, I'm shocked that things were not shared but allowed to alienate the family to the point of total destruction! I thought everyone was doing great, going on with our other children getting married and becoming Grandparents! Little did I realize the bitterness that was held in!

My heart aches for both of the families - it will be years before they can ever "learn to cope"! As for the other child involved in the accident - I sincerely hope he reaches out and gets professional help in coming to terms over the accident. He will live with it for the rest of his life and no one will really know his true "inner thoughts"!

Life is risk. Sure you need to teach them to temper risk by knowing how to do things safely. Certainly it's a shame that a child died and another child will have to live with the results of the accident. But proper parenting would be ensuring they are wearing safety equipment and being sure they have an idea of the risk. The problem with children is they don't believe in their own mortality. So teaching that last part probably is a tough one. But, I'm sure it can be done.
People die taking risks, and sometimes die even when they've taken every possible precaution.
I agree. You can't wrap them in a bubble.

When my son was entering junior high school, I told him their were two things he couldn't do while living with me...no tackle football, and no motor cycles! I pointed that I had several friends ,now in theeir 30's and 40's who had played football in high school, college, and even semi-pro. Without exception, every one of them now experienced physical problems stemming from prior football injuries. Same with motorcycles. Every guy in our family rides, or rode bikes, including my Dad, as well as several close pals. Again, EVERYONE of them has been hurt on motorcycles...and not always due to their judgement or ability! So, my son was involved in scuba, wrestling, baseball, shooting, hiking, and numerous other sports. But supervision and proper training were always paramount. That is a parent's duty and responsibility

You write like a child.

Sure there were more fatalities in Football and Baseball last year than in Motorcycle racing. There are millions of kids that play those sports and probably less than fifty that race motorcycles and Indianapolis Speedway. There is a limit to how much a child should be allowed to do. Motorcycle racing is a little extreme and so is sailing around the world on their own. I don't believe in keeping a child heavily protected from society, but we have to live within reason. I think this is the parents fault for letting a 13 year old do something this dangerous. So I blame them for his death directly, not really, but they are to blame for letting the child believe they were invulnerable enough to attempt something that adults die doing all the time. How many Professional Football/Baseball players die each year while playing the game? Not many. How many race car/motorcycle drivers die each year? On a percentage basis, all hell of a lot more. Don't hurt your kids future by not letting them do anything, but let's not go crazy and let them do something that might kill their chance at a future. -Mike