A 12-year-old boy died Tuesday after a pickup truck struck him while he was riding an electric skateboard in Wesley Chapel’s Crosswinds subdivision, turning a late afternoon ride into a fatal crash just before 5 p.m. on April 21, authorities said.
Crash details
According to Tampa Bay 28, the Florida Highway Patrol said the boy was traveling east on Moonrise Way on a V6 Pro electric skateboard when a Ford F-250, driven by a 45-year-old Wesley Chapel man, turned west from Windstar Circle and hit him. Troopers told the station the child “entered the path of the truck.” Emergency crews rushed him to a nearby hospital, where he later died. The Florida Highway Patrol is still working to piece together exactly how the collision unfolded.
Helmet rules and state action
Florida law requires anyone under 16 to wear a properly fitted bicycle helmet while riding, a rule spelled out in state statute 316.2065. The statute, published by the Florida Senate, also lets local governments set rules on where micromobility devices can be used.
Lawmakers have been trying to catch the law up to the gadgets kids are actually riding. A 2025 House bill defined “personal mobility device” to include electric skateboards and created battery-safety standards for devices sold in Florida. That language was added in House Bill 291, according to the Florida Senate.
Safety warnings and national context
Federal safety officials have repeatedly warned about the dangers tied to high-speed and self-balancing electric skateboards. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has urged people to stop using certain models after reports of deaths and serious injuries, and its own analysis shows emergency-department visits involving powered boards and scooters are on the rise. That pattern, detailed in a CPSC micromobility report, has sharpened calls for helmets and close parental supervision.
Investigation
Florida Highway Patrol is continuing to investigate the crash. Troopers told Tampa Bay 28 the driver of the Ford F-250 is a 45-year-old Wesley Chapel man. Authorities have not said whether any citations or charges will follow as the inquiry remains open.
Safety advocates say the tragedy highlights the risks of powerful micromobility devices in neighborhood streets and urge parents to keep young children off busy roads, insist on helmets and protective gear, and check local rules before buying or allowing kids to ride. Anyone with information about the collision is asked to contact the Florida Highway Patrol or Pasco County authorities.
