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News & Knowledge » Three-Year-Old Hit By E-Scooter Left With Catastrophic Injuries, Sparking Call For Regulations
On Monday evening a three year old girl was taken to hospital after she was hit by an e scooter in Myatt’s Field Park in South London at around 8:30pm.
The hospital described her condition as being stable but her parents were informed that her injuries would be life changing. The Metropolitan Police are currently investigating the matter and urging the driver and witnesses to come forward to understand the full circumstances of the collision.
A public outcry has since followed requesting further restrictions on the use of e-scooters.
What are e-scooters and how are they regulated?
Rental e-scooters became legal to ride on roads in England, Scotland and Wales on the 4th of July 2020 but private owners are still limited to using them on private land, otherwise facing a fine of £50.
The government have since launched a rental scheme to increase their roll out, which over 50 local councils have signed up to participate in, in the hope to persuade users to opt for a greener option for short journeys and to allow those from poorer backgrounds to afford transport.
Users pick up their scooter and can hire this for up to a month but they must hold either a provisional or full driving licence at the time of their rental agreement. Rental e-scooters are limited to 15.5mph but private owners can own an e-scooter with speeds of up to 68mph.
What are the problems with e-scooters?
Currently there is no specific law regulating e-scooters use and they fall under the category of “powered transporters”. Therefore e-scooters need to meet the same requirements as cars and motorbikes, requiring MOT, tax, licencing and specific construction to be driven legally.
However, number plates, signalling, lights and helmets are currently not legally required. This is despite physicians in the USA finding that 28% of injuries suffered by e-scooters are to the head and neck.
Unfortunately, following the phasing out of e-scooter schemes across the country, new figures released by councils indicate that e-scooters have caused hundreds of injuries and thousands of complaints.
As the e-scooters are dockless, there are concerns that users could leave them on public pavements and cause tripping hazards, which is a particular concern for wheelchair users and those who are visually impaired.
It has been predicted that e-scooters are around 100x more dangerous than bicycle and at least four people have been killed in the UK in accidents involving one. Phillip Jones, 75, suffered fatal injuries on the 17th of October 2020 when he got off his mobility scooter and attempted to move an abandoned e-scooter. Mr Jones then fell, landing on his back in the street in cold weather conditions.
Unfortunately the hospital found that he would not survive intensive care and surgery and he was therefore put on palliative care before his passing 12 days later. His cause of death was found to be a fractured neck and multiple organ failure. An inquest ruled his death to be accidental but his family believed that his death was “completely avoidable” due to the e-scooter involved.
Mr Jones’s brother has now called for the e-scooter hire schemes to be terminated and the National Federation of the Blind UK has began a petition to request this and to ban the sale of e-scooters for private hire.
This would also follow France’s recent stance, with the Mayor of Paris stating last month that the city would not renew the contracts for e-scooters in 2022 unless there was a “significant improvement in the situation and scooters find their place in public space without causing disturbance or additional danger”.
At present, the Department for Transport has only stated that safety is a priority and that they are working on further rules, taking comments from vulnerable road users, but it is hoped that the regulations governing e-scooters will be tightened in the near future.
WHAT TO DO NEXT
Oakwood Solicitors Ltd has a wealth of expertise in handling claims for compensation for those who have suffered accidents that are not their fault. If you have any questions about your claim, get in touch today for a no-obligation consultation with our Employers’ and Public Liability team.
Choose one of the methods on the right-hand side of this page, or call us on 0113 200 9787 to find out how we can help you.
Sources:
Alex Singleton joined Oakwood Solicitors in April 2021 as an experienced Paralegal, having worked in Personal Injury since 2018. Currently, Alex works in the Employers’ Liability and Public Liabilit…
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