Three teenagers were killed in a motorcycle accident late at night in Irving, Texas. Derek Smith, 18, lost control of his newly purchased motorcycle on an exit ramp and hit a wall, throwing him over a retaining wall. His friend Robbie Wright, 18, who was traveling behind him on a separate motorcycle, could not stop in time and hit Smith's bike, also being thrown over the wall. Both died at the scene. Speed may have been a factor, as Wright may not have been able to react quickly enough, though an investigation is ongoing. The two were described as well-liked students at their high school who were enjoying life after graduation.

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The Dallas Morning News dallasnews.com _ Saturday, September 6, 2008 5BIRVING/DALLAS
to a month, require increasing inventive-
ness and demand acumen and cunning to
rivalotherstatefairsacrossthecountry.
WillKingTutholdhisownagainstoth-
er condiment displays throughout the
U.S.?
Iowa featured a chiseled butter depic-
tion of Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson
at its state fair last month. The Erie Coun-
ty Fair has produced dueling John
dress took the stage in 2006. Last year’s
display included kids riding a gondola as
part of a tribute to the fair’s new Texas
SkyWay. Sharon BuMann, the sculptor
who produced those displays, will return
this year to make King Tut.
Butter sculptures sound plain, but
theselardcarvingsneedtostayfirmforup
McCain and Barack Obama shortening
statues.
And when New York’s State Fair ends
next week, students at the state universi-
ty’s College of Environmental Science and
Forestrywillconvert900poundsofthefa-
mous nursery rhyme cow jumping over
themoonintobiodiesel.
Itwillpowerfiveround-tripstotheAd-
irondacks.
FILE 2005/Staff Photographer
Sharon BuMann’s depiction of Elvis Presley singing “Hound Dog” had fairgoers howling in appreciation in 2005. Like
the condiment, each butter sculpture has to be kept refrigerated, so Ms. BuMann has to bundle up while she works.
Buttering up the boy king for the fair
Continued from Page 1B
Hills and Mr. Smith of Bedford
were riding south on State
Highway 161 about 10:30 p.m.
and took the exit ramp to go
west on State Highway 183
when Mr. Smith lost control of
his 2008 Suzuki GSX-R 600
bike and hit a wall. The impact
threwhimoveraretainingwall.
Mr. Wright, traveling be-
hind him on his 2006 Kawasa-
ki Ninja 636, hit Mr. Smith’s
motorcycle, and also was
thrown over the wall.
Robbie Wright, Mr.
Wright’s father, on Friday de-
scribed his son as an experi-
enced and safe motorcyclist.
“They were just having fun,”
hesaid.“Theyweren’tdoingthe
crazy bike crap.”
Alex Levee, 17, who went to
highschoolwithbothmen,said
Mr. Smith bought his bike just
four days before the crash. She
saw him working on the bike
Thursday afternoon.
“Derek was like a teddy
bear,” she said. “He was so
sweet and so nice.”
Irving police spokesman
David Tull said Friday that
speed may have been a factor in
the accident, but he didn’t
know how fast the men were
traveling. He said Mr. Wright
may have been too close to Mr.
Smith’s motorcycle to react
quickly when Mr. Smith hit the
wall.
Robbie Wright said his son,
known as Brad, was wearing a
helmet, but it could not protect
him after he fell from the over-
pass.
“He was an experienced rid-
er that just got stuck in a bad
place,”RobbieWrightsaid.
Mr. Smith’s family could not
bereachedforcomment.
Robbie Wright said his son
and Mr. Smith had been high
school classmates and became
friendsyearsago.
L.D. Bell principal Jim Ban-
nistersaidFridaythattheywere
well-liked in the senior class.
He described Mr. Smith as a re-
served student who also had a
comical side. Mr. Wright was
moreoutgoing,hesaid.
“They were great kids,” Mr.
Bannister said. “They will be
sorely missed. They were just
enjoyingpost-highschoollife.”
Friends said Mr. Smith was
attending classes at Tarrant
County College. Robbie Wright
said his son also was taking
classes there and eventually
planned to open an automobile
repairshop.
“He loved working on cars,”
Robbie Wright said. “He loved
horsepower. He loved cars. He
had his whole life in front of
him.”
Staff writer Arlinda Arriaga
contributedtothisreport.
Friends killed in
motorcycle crash
Continued from Page 1B
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