Teenager riding dirt bike dies after struck by car near Morenci

SENECA TWP. — A 16-year-old boy died Thursday after being struck by a car while riding a dirt bike just north of Morenci.

Michigan State Police troopers were dispatched at 4:13 p.m. to the crash on Lime Creek Highway south of West Mulberry Road in Seneca Township, a news release from the state police's Monroe Post said.

Troopers determined a Ford Fusion driven by a 19-year-old woman from Morenci was headed southbound on Lime Creek Highway, the release said. As the car was approaching the Morenci city limits, a 16-year-old boy, also from Morenci, entered the roadway on a Honda dirt bike. The boy was struck by the car and suffered fatal injuries. The driver of the car suffered no injuries, and no other vehicles were involved in the incident.

The boy was a student at Morenci High School, a letter from Morenci Area Schools Superintendent Jennifer Ellis to the district's families said.

"It truly breaks my heart to have to share this news and the district extends our deepest sympathy, prayers, and condolences to the affected family," Ellis said in the letter. "Please keep our students and their families in your thoughts and prayers. We all need to take care of each other right now as we struggle to comprehend this terrible tragedy."

The letter said counselors and a pastor would be available Friday. The district's Crisis Response Team was prepared to provide support through the weekend and longer, and area school districts had offered to provide additional social workers and counselors.

"This extra support is greatly appreciated," Ellis said in the letter.

The preliminary investigation does not indicate speed or alcohol to be factors in the crash, the report said. The collision remains under investigation by the Michigan State Police.

Troopers were assisted at the scene by the Morenci Police Department, Morenci EMS and the Morenci Fire Department.

Anyone with additional information regarding this incident is asked to contact Trooper Miccoy Drzewiecki of the Michigan State Police Monroe Post at 734-242-3500.