The number of e-bike-related injuries among both adults and children in New South Wales is projected to nearly double by 2025, raising significant concerns among medical professionals.
Dr. S. V. Soundappan, who leads the trauma department at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, expressed his worries about this upward trend in injuries. “We need to address the tampering of these bikes, and that responsibility begins at home,” he emphasized.
Echoing these concerns, Dr. Brian Burns, an emergency and trauma specialist at Royal North Shore Hospital, reported encountering numerous cases of “life-altering” injuries among e-bike users, with head trauma being particularly prevalent.
According to medical experts, excessive speed is a primary factor contributing to many of these injuries.
Alarmingly, one in ten of these incidents resulted in life-threatening or potentially life-threatening injuries, and 37 percent of the patients sustained fractures.
One in 10 of those injuries were life-threatening or potentially life-threatening, while 37 per cent of those patients suffered a fracture.
The warning comes after a teenager suffered serious injuries in Perth’s west after his-e-bike collided with a car yesterday morning.
The 14-year-old was riding along Stirling Highway in Claremont when his bike hit a four-wheel drive turning out of a carpark.
He suffered serious leg injuries and was taken to Perth Children’s Hospital for treatment.
The injuries are not life-threatening.
Major Crash Investigators are investigating the scene.
A WA parliamentary inquiry recently made 33 recommendations for e-bike and e-scooter rules in the state in a bid to make them safer for both riders and pedestrians.
Chief among them were tougher penalties for road offences and punishments for retailers who help riders with illegal modifications.
