Mom hoping teen’s death leaves impression on others

Heather Rawlyk

Friday, June 18, 2004 | 11:21 a.m.

Fourteen-year-old Dusty Steen died because he hadn't been wearing a helmet while riding a motorized skateboard, authorities said. Nevertheless, several teens and children rode to his memorial Thursday night without the protective gear on their heads.

After seeing the helmetless bicycle riders at a gathering in front of Dusty's northwest Las Vegas home in the 3400 block of Whitman Falls Drive, Dusty's mother, Sheri Allen, lectured the crowd.

"I feel guilty that I didn't say 'Do you have your helmet on?' before he left (the house) that day," Allen said. "And now every day for the rest of my life I will have to ask if Dusty had a helmet on, would he be here?

"Which one of you parents wants to be next to ask yourself that question," she asked.

Dusty had been riding a motorized skateboard on Alexander Road east of Tee Pee Lane on June 2 when he lost control of the vehicle and was thrown 10 to 12 feet onto the street. The teen suffered critical head injuries, from which he died 10 days later.

"He usually did wear a helmet," Dusty's grandmother, Penny Reich, said. "But for some reason he didn't wear it that day. All of us (Dusty's family) were there when he left that day and we all just assumed he would wear it.

"We didn't think to ask him, but we should have," she said.

Allen said she regrets not being strong enough to tell her son, "if you don't (wear your helmet), you don't go" and encouraged parents to learn from her mistake.

"You don't want to go through this," Allen said. "You truly need to insist that either your children wear their helmet or they can't go out."

Reich said her grandson frequently rode motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, four-wheelers and anything else that had wheels. At one point, family members were convinced Dusty would have a future in riding motorcycles, she said.

However, Reich believes that motorized skateboards, such as the one Dusty was riding at the time of the accident, are too dangerous for children and teens to operate on their own.

Metro Police on Thursday sent out a press release pointing out that there had been several cases of unprotected children illegally riding motorized vehicles in the streets.

On April 13 two girls, ages 9 and 10, were riding a motorized scooter through the intersection of Dodd and Steptoe streets in Las Vegas when they ignored a stop sign and were struck by a pickup truck, police said. One girl suffered serious injuries.

The girls were thrown from the scooter before it was run over by the truck, police said.

From motorized skateboards and scooters to off-road motorcycles and ATVs, anything powered by a gas or electric motor is considered a motor vehicle and can't be legally driven on the streets without a valid driver's license, police said.

Metro, along with the Henderson and North Las Vegas Police departments, are placing a new focus enforcing the laws regarding such of vehicles, and the public needs department spokesmen said.

Henderson currently has an ordinance that prohibits motorized skateboards from all streets, sidewalks or any part of the highway and fines violators $167.

Under Nevada law operating a vehicle without a driver's license is punishable by a fine of up to $640.

"Parents who want to purchase these vehicles must take responsibility for them," Metro said in its press release. "They should also understand what can happen by allowing their children to operate these vehicles, and that serious injury or death can occur."

Allen said she now understands what can happen and is educating parents about the dangers.

"These motorized vehicles are too fast for a child to be able to react to on the road," Allen said. "They are not street legal and are not safe for children. Talk to your kids about wearing a helmet and don't allow them to ride on these vehicles.

"Let's all learn from Dusty's misjudgment," she said.

Apparently, the kids at their friend's memorial service haven't learned yet. After the service was over, the children, sans helmets, were popping wheelies on their bikes as they headed home.