ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Doctors at Orlando Health in Pinellas County said they see e-bike and e-scooter-related injuries every single day in their emergency room, and they warn it’s more serious than people might think.
What we know:
Dr. Traci Ryan works in emergency medicine at Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital in St. Petersburg and at the freestanding emergency rooms in Pinellas Park and Crossroads. She said e-bikes and e-scooters are like motorcycles, fast and exposed.
“We had a 14-year-old with a splenic injury that was very serious that came into the emergency department. That’s very scary for the parents. That is life-threatening,” said Ryan.
Ryan said Orlando Health’s ERs are seeing more of these types of injuries from teens and adults.
“There are serious injuries. There’s intracranial bleeds, so blood on the brain, blood on the major organs around the heart, around the lungs, around the spleen and the liver are very common on e-bikes,” said Ryan.
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What they’re saying:
Law enforcement agencies around the Tampa Bay area are dealing with e-bike and e-scooter crashes as well, with a few most recently in Clearwater and St. Petersburg.
“What we’re noticing is that a lot of the crashes are, because the person on the bike isn’t aware of what the rules are,” said Ashley Limardo, a spokesperson with the St. Petersburg Police Department.
In St. Petersburg, police said they’ve investigated five deadly e-bike crashes so far this year, a trend they haven’t seen before.
“Our main message is that we want those that are using e-bikes to understand the rules of the road,” said Limardo.
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Those rules are the same as cars.
“So, that means stopping at stop signs, stopping at red lights, allowing pedestrians to cross the crosswalk and those sorts of things,” said Limardo.
What you can do:
E-bikes are heavier, faster and need more space to stop. Doctors said more riders need to be aware and safe.
“So, if I can give any advice, big picture advice for people that are getting an e-bike either for themselves or their kids, get a good helmet,” said Ryan.
While protecting your head is highly recommended, police shared a few more tips so you don’t end up in the ER.
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“It’s important, especially now that it’s getting dark out earlier, it’s important to wear reflective gear, rear and front lights on your bicycle just to make you as visible as possible to the other drivers,” said Limardo.
Doctors said they also see traumatic brain injuries, chest and spine trauma from e-bike and scooter crashes. St. Pete police said they are doing outreach to encourage safety.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from Orlando Health and St. Petersburg police by FOX 13’s Briona Arradondo.