Moped Death Latest In String Of North Shore 2-Wheeler Incidents

LYNN, MA — The latest in a series of North Shore tragedies and potentially dangerous encounters involving mopeds, scooters and dirt bikes occurred in Lynn Tuesday morning when a woman passenger on a moped was killed when it collided with a dump truck.

According to media reports, the 55-year-old woman and the 68-year-old moped driver were found in the roadway near the intersection of Western Avenue and Washington Street when Lynn police responded about 9:20 Tuesday morning.

The woman was taken to Salem Hospital where was pronounced dead, while the man was hospitalized with injuries.

Officials said the preliminary investigation indicated both vehicles were making a right turn at the time of the crash with the moped in the inside lane. The dump truck driver was cooperating with police.

In June, a 28-year-old Salem man died from injuries he sustained while riding a scooter on Fort Avenue. A preliminary Massachusetts State Police investigation said the scooter driver was thrown from his vehicle when he swerved to avoid a skateboarder.

Late in July, Salem police said those riding dirt bikes, scooters and other similar vehicles in an unsafe manner — there is no indication that was the case in the Lynn crash on Tuesday — were an "ongoing problem" on the North Shore in Beverly, Peabody, Salem and Lynn.

Police said at the time the issue with the bikes is that often they were unregistered, riders were not observing the rules of the road and that— at times — groups of riders will use departments' "no chase" policies against them through taunting other drivers and then speeding off when ordered to stop.

"We will continue to respond to all reports of reckless driving and we will pursue other avenues of enforcement against operators who flee," Salem police said.

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(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)