MAY 26, 2009 - An 11-year-old boy was taken off life support, 16 days after he was struck by a car while riding a miniature electric motorcycle on a private street in Olivenhain, according to the San Diego County Medical Examiner. Robert Franklin Thompson died at 3:30 p.m. at Rady Children’s Hospital in Encinitas, where he had been pronounced brain dead earlier this month. Thompson was injured after riding the “pocket bike” out from a private driveway in the 1000 block of Double LL Ranch Road and into the path of a car. He was airlifted to Children’s Hospital following the collision.

Pocket bikes, which resemble miniature street bikes, gained popularity about five years ago. They reach speeds of 15 mph and can only be legally ridden on private property. They present a danger because they ride low to the ground and often can not be seen by other vehicles.