Citation

Sikka N, Vila C, Stratton M, Ghassemi M, Pourmand A. Am. J. Emerg. Med. 2019; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

Emergency Medicine Department, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC, United States. Electronic address: pourmand@gwu.edu.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.ajem.2019.06.017

PMID

31201118

Abstract

The popularity of rideshare electric scooters is due to their availability, accessibility, and low cost. The recent increase in electric scooter use has raised concerns regarding the safety of both riders and pedestrians. Previous studies characterize the incidence and pattern of injury for riders, but there is a lack of literature concerning electric scooters' impact on pedestrians. Pedestrians injured by electric scooters face potential financial burdens from hospitalization costs, medical interventions, taking time off from work, and rehabilitation therapies. Based on prior studies, pedestrians who are most prone to injuries sustained by pedestrian transportation include individuals with vision and/or hearing impairment, young children, the elderly, and people distracted by mobile devices. We present a case involving a sixty-year-old female pedestrian who presented to the emergency department with an acute lumbar compression fracture after a collision with an electric scooter. This study highlights the safety risks and incidence of injuries for pedestrians associated with electric scooters, which can help shape public policy to ensure the safety of both riders and pedestrians.

Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Language: en

Keywords

E-scooter; Electric scooter; Emergency department; Pedestrian; Personal mobility device