ACC receives 38 electric scooter-related injuries two weeks after share scheme launch

Monday, 29 October 2018

Injuries from electric scooters are booming since Californian company Lime launched 1000 of its scooters two weeks ago. 

Fractured bones, severe facial trauma, bruises, gashes to the head and tooth loss were some of the injuries people had received after trying out Lime's electric scooter (e-scooter) share scheme.

There have been 38 ACC claims from injuries that were e-scooter-related since Lime was introduced – 27 in Auckland and 11 in Christchurch. This was up from 14 claims last Wednesday. 

One person, who suffered severe facial trauma after coming off a Lime e-scooter in Auckland, will likely need a root canal or braces but one dentist said she was not surprised as she had  already seen multiple patients suffering facial trauma and damaged teeth from Lime incidents.

**READ MORE:

* Explainer: Where can you ride e-scooters and what are the rules?

* Auckland Mayor orders urgent scooter safety probe after councillor almost hit

* E-scooter injury claims and near misses spark safety fears

* The lowdown on Lime Scooters, New Zealand's newest transport trend**

PATIENT HIT PAVEMENT 'FACE FIRST'

Lumino Dentist Andrea Shepperson said 'in one particular case, a patient swerved to avoid pedestrians, braked and lost control, hitting the pavement face first'.

The patient suffered concussion and pushed a front tooth up into the gum from the incident on Thursday and now faced extensive treatment, she said.  

'The treatment is likely to involve braces to reposition the tooth, and the risk of a nerve dying with a root canal the outcome.   

'The long term impact of tooth damage for patients, in extreme cases resulting in tooth loss, is a tragedy and avoidable,' Shepperson said.

The patient was referred to her by the Quay Park medical centre - who told her they had being treating about two people with e-scooter related injuries a day, sometimes as much as five. 

Shepperson expected other dentists around Auckland CBD to be seeing similar, if not more cases as she had seen, she said.

Have you been in an e-scooter incident? Email us on newstips@stuff.co.nz

'This is permanent and irreversible damage to something that's meant to be a part of you for the rest of your life.' 

A number of people have approached Stuff with accounts of being injured on e-scooters.

'I WENT OVER A DRIVER AND LITERALLY FLEW OFF, AND INJURED MY WHOLE BODY'

A 16-year-old girl who asked not to be named said her hand was broken and her teeth were knocked when she fell while riding an e-scooter.

The girl and her friend were riding e-scooters after school, she said.

She was dropping her friend home when the accident took place.

'I was going down hill, like faster than I could stop it and the brakes weren't really working,' she said.

'I went over a driveway and literally flew off and injured my whole body.'

'It's so much fun until something like this happens,' she said.

'I WAS SO SCARED'

A woman who wished to remain anonymous said she was injured after riding an e-scooter on Thursday. 

Admitting it was 'silly' to go down hill, the woman said her brakes did not take effect and she was 'wobbling' at 35kmh, trying to stop herself.

The woman crashed 'onto the concrete, head and shoulder first', she said.

'I was so scared I didn't even know how to cope with stopping, the brakes were so hard to push.'

The woman had a fracture near her shoulder, a deep scrape on her elbow, a cut on her head which required stitches and a swollen black eye. 

'Doctors advised I have an MRI on my right wrist for possible fracture,' she said.

The e-scooters were 'not at all' safe enough, she said.

'They should provide helmets not just advise them. They should have a controlled braking system that doesn't allow you to reach high speeds,' she said.

'I was silly enough to go down the hill but the scooter didn't brake and the thing went at such an uncontrollable speed.

'It's frightening that people are going that fast on such a small device.'

'LIME E-SCOOTER DIDN'T STOP'

Last Wednesday, Auckland man George Bryant was left gashed, battered and bruised after a Lime e-scooter 'didn't stop' while he was scooting down a mild slope.

He bailed off the scooter and suffered gashes to the heels of both hands and elbows, left knee, shoulder, and fingers, as well a road rash down his right arm. 

Bryant said 'it was either go into the road works or into the curb – so my instinct was to jump off'.

Lime and Auckland Transport needed to review Lime's safety procedures and operating plan so accidents like his could be prevented, he said.

'WE DON'T WANT PEOPLE FLYING DOWN HILLS'

On Lime's app, users are told the following rules and regulations:

A helmet is required

Do not ride on the sidewalk

Don't ride downhills

Have a valid driver's license

You are 18 years or older 

Ride at your own risk

On Friday, New Zealand Lime launcher Cameron Swanson told Stuff that the e-scooters' brakes were mechanical and were not something that could 'just work or not'.

However, brakes could be worn down or loosened if they were being ridden on bumpy roads, Swanson said. 

'Pay attention to your surroundings, make sure that you're in a safe environment and if it's a steep gradient on a hill then maybe look for another option or walk the scooter down the hill,' Swanson said.

'We don't want people flying down hills.'

At its launch in Auckland, New Zealand Lime launcher Hank Rowe said while it recommended users wore a helmet, the New Zealand Transport Agency stated it was not a requirement.

'If it's raining or if you do intend on riding on the road for a long period we do recommend wearing a helmet,' Rowe said. 

'However for short trips around the city and on footpaths, the safety level is absolutely on par with walking.'

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