E-bike, e-scooter injuries among children surge at Arnold Palmer Hospital
E-bike, e-scooter injuries among children surge at Arnold Palmer Hospital
Doctors at Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children say they are seeing a sharp increase in serious injuries involving children riding electric bikes and scooters, with hospital admissions nearly doubling each year.
ORLANDO, Fla. - Doctors at Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children say they are seeing a sharp increase in serious injuries involving children riding electric bikes and scooters, with hospital admissions nearly doubling each year.
The hospital is urging helmet use, rider education and speed limits to improve safety.
Small percentage of seriously injured wore helmets
What they're saying:
Fifteen-year-old Hunter Ford knows the risks firsthand. He was airlifted to the hospital after a driver struck him while he was riding his e-bike last August.
"I went about 25 feet across the pavement, and I have a burn injury on my foot, and I used to have a liver injury. It got torn in half," Ford said.
Ford was wearing a helmet during the crash and urged other riders to do the same.
"Basically everyone that rides an e-bike is just to always wear a helmet and be precautious of other drivers because you never know what might happen," he said.
Dr. Donald Plumley, a pediatric trauma surgeon at Arnold Palmer Hospital, said the hospital reviewed its data after noticing a growing number of serious e-bike and e-scooter injuries.
"We had sensed an increase in e-bike and really micro-mobility, e-bikes, e-scooter situations. So we went back and pulled our numbers," Plumley said.
The review found the hospital admitted about 50 patients with serious e-bike and e-scooter injuries in 2023. That number climbed to 125 in 2024. Through the first six months of this year alone, the hospital had already admitted 120 patients.
"We've about doubled the incidence every year. So that's pretty dramatic numbers," Plumley said.
Hospital data also showed helmet use remains low among injured riders.
"Only 15% of the children that were admitted with serious injuries were wearing a helmet," Plumley said.
Plumley said many younger riders also lack basic knowledge of traffic laws and safety. He recommends helmet use, rider education and speed limits for e-bikes and other micromobility devices. The hospital has also distributed nearly 1,000 free helmets to students who ride electric bikes and scooters.
The Source: This story was written based on information shared by doctors at Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and patient Hunter Ford.