Northern Ireland

Teenager critically injured in west Belfast scrambler accident

A 15 year-old-boy is in intensive care after a collision between two scrambler bikes on the Glen Road in west Belfast on Sunday. Picture by Mark Marlow.
A 15 year-old-boy is in intensive care after a collision between two scrambler bikes on the Glen Road in west Belfast on Sunday. Picture by Mark Marlow.

A 15-YEAR-OLD boy is in a critical condition in hospital after a collision involving two scrambler bikes in west Belfast.

The crash happened on the Glen Road at around 5.40pm on Sunday.

The Belfast Trust has confirmed the teenager is in a critical condition in intensive care.

A 16-year-old boy was arrested at the scene on suspicion of dangerous driving, driving without insurance and without a licence, and later released on police bail.

A PSNI guidance leaflet states that anyone wishing to drive a scrambler must have a valid licence and be at least 16 years of age.

The legislation also states that scramblers must be used "on private property where you have permission to ride" and not on a public road.

Sinn Fein assembly member Rosie McCorley said the accident highlighted the danger of using the motorcycles in public spaces.

"We can only be thankful that this young man or others were not killed in this instance.I would urge parents who buy these bikes for their children to ensure they are used responsibly."

Ms McCorley said there are "issues across Belfast with the use of scramblers which need addressed".

"I will be in contact with the PSNI to ensure that a more robust approach is taken to tackling the use of these bike in our communities," she added.

Police have appealed for anyone with information to contact them on the non-emergency number 101.

The motorcycles have become a regular feature – with sometimes tragic consequences – of life across Belfast in recent years.

In 2011 Daniel Mooney, a 12-year-old from north Belfast, was killed when he fell off the back of a scrambler on which he was a passenger.

Andrew Morrow was jailed for eight years after pleading guilty to causing Daniel's death by dangerous driving.