SerpApi.Org
A 15-year-old boy was seriously injured after a crash involving his motorized scooter in Edgewood on Saturday.
The boy was riding his motorized scooter around 4:30 p.m. on southbound Meridian Avenue. He crashed with a vehicle as it turned west near the 600 block of Meridian. He was taken to a hospital with serious injuries, according to an Edgewood Police Department Facebook post Monday.
“Regardless of who was at fault, our thoughts and best wishes are with him as he recovers from his injuries and with the other involved party as they recover from the trauma of the incident,” the post said.
Police Chief Jason Youngman told The News Tribune Tuesday that the crash is a civil matter. There was no reckless driving, hit-and-run or DUI involved. The teenager was not wearing a helmet, and had non-life threatening but serious injuries when he was taken to the hospital, Youngman said.
He said witnesses reported they saw the teenager on the scooter going pretty fast.
“What that means I don’t know. That would be subjective to those witnesses,” Youngman said.
He said the driver was trying to turn into the McDonald’s parking lot on Meridian while the scooter was trying to pass by in the opposite direction. The driver did not make the turn in time and did not make enough room for the scooter to go by, Youngman said. The driver said they thought they had more room for the turn, the chief said.
On June 3, an ordinance was passed through the Edgewood City Council to allow e-bike and e-bike regulations. This was after the city noted an increase in reports of motorized scooters and e-bikes striking pedestrians and being operated in a dangerous manner. The teenager’s parents were cited for allowing the teenager to operate the scooter despite only being 15-years-old, and for him not wearing a helmet, Youngman said. State law says that: “Persons under sixteen years of age may not operate a motorized foot scooter unless provided otherwise by a local jurisdiction.”
Edgewood PD wrote in a June 3 Facebook post that violations can lead to e-bikes or scooters being impounded and/or a $250 fine.
“This recent incident shows why the ordinance was enacted and that there is a significant safety risk when it comes to the operation of these devices, especially by young riders,” Monday’s post said.
Police say parents in the city are encouraged to educate their children on the rules and safety when it comes to operating e-bikes or motorized scooters.
