E-bikes and electric scooters can cause serious injuries

E-bikes and electric scooters are sweeping the nation as an alternative means of transportation. Issaquah residents may be regular users of e-bikes or electric scooters, or may have least seen others using them to get from point A to point B. However, according to a recent study, e-bikes and electric scooters can cause serious injuries if they crash.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s National Electronic Injury Surveillance System studied emergency room data dating from 2000 to 2017. The study showed that people using e-bikes were more apt to sustain internal injuries necessitating hospitalization in the event of a collision in comparison to those using traditional bicycles. In addition, the study showed that users of electric scooters suffered more concussions than those using traditional bikes. Also, users of e-bikes were three times more apt to collide with a pedestrian, compared to riders of electric scooters or traditional bicycles.

Internal injuries and concussions can debilitate a person for many months, or even years. They are serious injuries that can cost a person dearly in time, money and in their health and well-being. Like traditional bicycles, e-bikes and electric scooters do not offer the same safety features as automobiles. However, riders of e-bikes and electric scooters must understand of the speed capabilities of these types of vehicles and how to properly handle them, in order to avoid crashing into a pedestrian who is sharing the sidewalk with them.

Whether they’re seen as an attraction or a nuisance, e-bikes and electric scooter users must make sure they do not cause a pedestrian accident, and motorists on the road must make sure they are aware of these smaller vehicles, so they do not hit them. If either party causes an accident that leads another person to suffer serious injuries, the accident victim may be able to pursue damages through a personal injury claim.