Naperville student dies after dirt bike accident

Brandon Bringas loved fishing, skateboarding and golf, but it was the time he and his father spent together on their dirt bikes that he enjoyed most.

Brandon, 14, was riding with his dad, James, on Monday afternoon when he was critically injured in a dirt-bike accident. The Naperville boy died Tuesday.

Alyssa Bringas, 18, said her father and younger brother frequently rode their customized bikes at an Ottawa riding park.

Brandon, she said, had been riding for three years and one day dreamed of joining a professional racing circuit and competing against some of the best riders.

"He even had his bike customized with decals and other things to make it look like he had a professional sponsor," Alyssa Bringas said.

She said Brandon was practicing one of his jumps Monday at the Ottawa park when he landed incorrectly, crushing his torso on the handlebars before he flipped with the bike.

"Hitting the handlebars caused severe internal damage to his arteries and liver," she said. "Those injuries prevented his blood from clotting after surgery and caused the internal bleeding that caused him to pass away."

Brandon was to be an eighth-grader this fall at Scullen Middle School in Naperville, where he was a wrestler. An e-mail sent from the school's administration Wednesday said drop-in support services will be available from 2 to 4 p.m. Thursday at the school.

"I hope people remember what a big heart Brandon had and how much he cared about his family and friends," Alyssa said. "But he also liked to stir the pot and make people laugh every chance he got."