Doctors deal with surge in broken, bruised and bleeding scooter riders

Friday, 2 November 2018

Auckland man George Bryant was left battered and bruised after an e-scooter incident.

Electric scooter-related injuries are coming 'thick and fast' into emergency rooms, emergency doctors say.

The number of e-scooter-related ACC claims in Auckland and Christchurch has climbed to 66, up from 38 on October 27.

Head injuries and collapsed lungs were among the wave of concerning injuries, Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM) New Zealand faculty chair doctor John Bonning said.

Liming has reached cult status among youths, with e-scooter races, jousting and demolition derby events planned across the city

'The public need to understand these scooters are not toys.

* The low down on under-aged 'Liming'

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

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

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

'They are capable of high speeds, and when ridden on footpaths where there are a high number of pedestrians, they can pose a serious issue to yourself and others,' Bonning said.

Six hundred e-scooters were dropped in Auckland, as well as 400 in Christchurch, in mid October.

He said the injuries have come 'thick and fast' since hundreds of Lime e-scooters were dropped in both cities on October 15.

A spike in broken bones and flesh wounds, alongside head and facial trauma have been seen over the last two weeks in hospitals in Auckland and Christchurch.

The injuries have included fractures, lacerations and abrasions, broken teeth, head injuries and even collapsed lungs.

'My message to the public is: before getting on one, put on a helmet, and importantly know what you are doing.'

ACEM is the governing organisation for emergency medicine specialists in New Zealand and Australia.

'We have seen these shared electric scooters become very popular in a short amount of time since they have been introduced in Auckland and Christchurch,' Bonning said.

'We anticipate this popularity will rise as they are introduced across the country, so we want to make sure our elected officials and representatives who are giving them the green light have thought about the regulation of the scooters, from a safety perspective.'

His warning came as Auckland mayor Phil Goff said he had seen people using the scooters recklessly.

'Most of the people that I've observed as I walk around town are riding them perfectly responsibly and safely.

'But I have seen some notable exceptions to that where I thought 'god, you're a temporary New Zealander' - but I've seen people drive cars like that too and ride bikes like that,' Goff said.

Goff said the influx of the e-scooters was a big issue, 'because we've got so many around and we've got more coming'.

While it might be legal to ride at 25kmh on the footpath, he said it was 'not sensible'.

'That's why I've asked for the report from Auckland Transport and Auckland Council,' Goff said.

'That will help inform what sort of regulatory regime we might have to balance the interests of a good way of getting around town … and the need to have some common sense safety requirements.'

Since their launch, e-scooting or 'Liming' has reached cult status in Auckland, with public racing, jousting and demolition derby events becoming popular.

There are 600 electric scooters in Auckland and 400 Christchurch, with two companies planning to launch similar schemes.