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<\/p>\nA 19-year-old Montrealer is recovering from serious injuries after crashing his bicycle while trying to avoid an approaching e-scooter on a bike path in Montreal\u2019s Hochelaga.<\/p>\n
Shawn John David was riding with his brother along Notre-Dame Street, near Sicard and Louis-Payette streets, on a route they knew well when he says an e-scooter approached at high speed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe man on the e-scooter was going faster than the speed limit. He wasn\u2019t really staying in his lane either,\u201d David said. \u201cHe was partly in the other lane, and there just wasn\u2019t enough space for both of us.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Shawn John David\u2019s bike after he crashed while trying to avoid an e-scooter on Oct. 11, 2026. (Courtesy: Karine David)<\/p>\n
David says they were blinded by the bright lights of the approaching e-scooter. While trying to avoid it, he crashed into a tree. The impact broke his bike in two. <\/p>\n
The e-scooter rider continued on.<\/p>\n
His brother is safe, but the experience has left him deeply shaken. David\u2019s mother, Karine David, says she feared the worst when she arrived at the scene.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was really afraid he was going to die,\u201d she said. \u201cBut I thank God he\u2019s still with me today. And when I arrived at the scene, my son was unconscious.\u201d<\/p>\n
Calls for safer bike paths<\/p>\n
Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Rheault, CEO of V\u00e9lo Qu\u00e9bec, says the Notre-Dame bike path where the crash occurred has long been a concern. he called it \u201cone of the worst in Montreal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMany stakeholders have mentioned to the city and the provincial government that this bike path needed to be upgraded,\u201d Rheault said.<\/p>\n
The crash has also raised questions for David and his family about what options are available to victims when a motor vehicle isn\u2019t involved.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo be compensated by the SAAQ, a car would have had to hit him,\u201d Karine David said.<\/p>\n
She says the family also looked into compensation through Quebec\u2019s crime victims\u2019 assistance program, known as the IVAQ, but was told there were limitations in their situation.<\/p>\n
According to the mother, police told the family her son would have had to make contact with the other rider for the incident to be considered a hit-and-run.<\/p>\n
For Shawn, that is difficult to accept.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo be told at a police station, or by anyone, that I should have just caused an accident, crashed into him, hit someone, just so I could get something in return, that\u2019s something I can\u2019t even imagine doing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Gaps in collision data<\/p>\n
Rheault says better collision data is needed to get a clearer picture of the risks posed by different devices and inform decisions around safety rules.<\/p>\n
\u201cGenerally speaking with the SAAQ, and we spoke about that in the last few years, the quality of the collision data is not good enough,\u201d Rheault said.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor instance, we don\u2019t have a separate category for e-bikes. They\u2019re just classified in regular bikes. Also, we do not collect data when a motorized vehicle is not involved. That\u2019s also a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
A long recovery ahead<\/p>\n
Shawn is now out of the hospital and recovering, but his family says the impact of the crash is far from over.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt really scared me because he was telling me he could become paraplegic,\u201d his mother said. \u201cI know Shawn. He loves being active, he loves going to the gym. Now he won\u2019t be able to do those things for a while.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomething like this can really tear a family apart. It\u2019s dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\tKeep it Factual<\/p>\n
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