The reporting appears to be based entirely on police statements and limited released medical information, so I don't think it is good reporting to hold onto the story until all such facts are available.

Frankly, I don't care what kind of bike it was, if it had no brakes, he had no business riding it on the street. Brakes are required by Maine law, and riding brakeless in traffic without a freewheel is only slightly less crazy than doing so with a freewheel.

There are stories where it's quite clear that the mention of no helmet is gratuitous, I'm not at all certain this is one of those. Someone appears to have chosen to ride downhill into an intersection with no brakes, and doing so without a helmet seems to compound that bad judgment in my mind.