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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSubmittal-Commissioner Reyes-News Articles Regarding Electric Scooter Accidents`I did almost die,' Utahn warns of dangers of electric scooters following severe accident Page 1 of 6 Menu Quick links... v NEWS > LOCAL NEWS I SALT LAKE CITY Watch Submitted into the public record fir item(s) Q� , on / City Clerk `I did almost die,' Utahn warns of dangers of electric scooters following severe accident Posted: 6:37 PM, Jan 16, 2020 Updated: 2020-01-17 14:14:11-05 By: Elle Thomas Ion- G%%- 5�► � 1�e e s - u��� M,\tAyli��Ic r� S � NC4�4� o er�� 4t https:Hfox 13now.com/2020/01 /16/i-did-almost-die-utahn-warns-of-dangers-of-electric-sco... 2/13/2020 `I did almost die,' Utahn warns of dangers of electric scooters following severe accident Page 2 of 6 SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah resident is warning others of the dangers of electric scooters after an accident sent them to the emergency room and cost them hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills. Inside of a small hair salon, tucked just inside of the Salt Lake City Public Library, you'll find Kennedy. [Editor's Note: Kennedy uses they/them pronouns.] "I'm never at a loss for interesting conversation here at the library with my clients, it's quite a colorful place," Kennedy smiled as they worked to add hair to a wig. Kennedy built the Salon, owns it and loves it. "I enjoy being able to help people with their esteem and make them feel better about themselves." But never thought one day they could lose it. "Having to have multiple surgeries and to lose work, I mean I own my own business and I'm going to teeter that line of whether or not I lose this business," Kennedy said. Look at Kennedy's face, still bandaged and bruised, and you'll see why. "I shattered my jaw, I shattered my sinuses, I broke the cheekbones, I have a metal plate right here in my forehead," Kennedy said as they grabbed their head. "Of course, I knocked some teeth out which will be next to deal with," Kennedy continued. "I mean, it was pretty horrific for as small as the act was. Submitted into the public record f r it m(s) on City Clerk https://fox l 3now.coml2020/O 1 / 16/i-did-almost-die-utahn-warns-of-dangers-of-electric-sco... 2/13/2020 `I did almost die,' Utahn warns of dangers of electric scooters following severe accident Page 3 of 6 Two months ago, Kennedy was in an accident that nearly claimed their life — every day, they're reminded of the trauma. "At first they had told my friends and family to come up and say goodbye," Kennedy said. All the horrific injuries and memories were brought about by something you've probably seen all over town — an electric scooter. "I was going through the parking lot," Kennedy said, explaining the layout of the Crown Burger parking lot the night that it happened. "I was going maybe three or four miles per hour, I had literally just started going, maybe ten feet before I caught the curb," said Kennedy. "It catapulted me forward onto my face and I shattered every single bone in my face." Submitted into the public record fqr it (s) . - 5 on 1 City Clerk https://fox 13now.com/2020/01 /16/i-did-almost-die-utahn-warns-of-dangers-of-electric-sco... 2/13/2020 I did almost die,' Utahn warns of dangers of electric scooters following severe accident Page 4 of 6 Kennedys not alone. New numbers from the Journal of the American Medical Association show nationwide, the number of electric scooter -related injuries has nearly doubled from 8,016 in 2017 to 14,651 in 2018. For that same year, Salt Lake emergency rooms reported a 161 -percent increase in related visits. "It was absolutely not a freak accident these accidents are happening every single day," Kennedy said. Now, Kennedy hopes others realize the pain and danger that can come from one wrong move. "Everything can change in a minute and I don't take any of it for granted," Kennedy said. "I'll never get on one again." Submitted into the public record for item(s) on a 3 City Clerk https:Hfox 13now.com/2020/01 /16/i-did-almost-die-utahn-warns-of-dangers-of-electric-sco... 2/13/2020 I did almost die,' Utahn warns of dangers of electric scooters following severe accident Page 5 of 6 Kennedy does not have insurance and currently has more than 200 - thousand dollars in medical expenses. A fundraising page can be found here. Kennedy was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident. Copyright 2020 Scnpps Media. Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be ptjbh5htd. kmad-at. rewritten, or redistributed. Is am WE "bow N.W .EMMMAW — Why we redesigned the website and mobile app Submitted into the public record f (itgm(s) M. 5 on City Clerk 0 News Traffic Weather Community Support 0 ='r-lw— Advertise with Us Do Not Sell My Info EEO AN FCC Public Files Privacy Policy Public File Contact Site Map Terms of Use https:Hfox 13now.com/2020/01 /16/i-did-almost-die-utahn-warns-of-dangers-of-electric-sco... 2/13/2020 I did almost die,' Utahn warns of dangers of electric scooters following severe accident Page 6 of 6 Scripps Local Media © 2020 Scripps Media, Inc Submitted into the public record for it m(s) on 6 City Clerk https://fox 13now.com/2020/01 / 16/i-did-almost-die-utahn-warns-of-dangers-of-electric-sco... 2/13/2020 More e -scooters on the roads, and more riders sent to hospitals with head injuries - South ... Page 1 of 13 SECTIONS LOG IN Chuy's, home of the Elvis f South Beach Wine & Food Italian Presley Memorial Combo, _ _ Festival 2020: 3 counties, 5 Vai an V brings over -the -top Tex-Mex days, 111 events ... and a µ living tl > ADVERTISEMENT Timin To learn more about g your risk of stroke 6ROWARD HEI Everything ik —A Passion for HEALTH More e -scooters on the roads, and more riders sent to hospitals with head injuries ®By CINDY KRISCHER GOODMAN SOUTH FLORIDA SUN SENTINEL I FEB 05, 2020 Nr 9) Submitted into the public record fpr it m(s) pl . + on / 15 " City Clerk http://www.sun-sentinel.comlhealthlfl-ne-scooter-injuries-20200201-dsyh33jftzevflcxdnw... 2/13/2020 More e -scooters on the roads, and more riders sent to hospitals with head injuries - South ... Page 2 of 13 ormgs Elvi om Tex -M x Im 3eacl 1202 11 e� Italian -�ai in ving "'k Electronic scooters are all over Fort Lauderdale beach, but riding them without a helmet is leading to head injuries. (Rod Stafford Hagwood / southflorida.com) On bustling Saturday nights in Fort Lauderdale, Dr. Jason Mansour often encounters emergency room patients with a fractured skull or blood seeping from the head after an electronic scooter accident. "If you fall, it's your body or your head versus the ground," said Mansour, an emergency care physician at Broward Health Medical Center, where more than loo people have arrived by ambulance from scooter injuries in the last year, a third of them with head injuries. Advertisement Submitted into the public record fppr i m(s) _VIE. 5_ on Z11 City Clerk http://www.sun-sentinel.com/health/fl-ne-scooter-injuries-20200201-dsyh33 jftzevflcxdnw... 2/13/2020 More e -scooters on the roads, and more riders sent to hospitals with head injuries - South ... Page 3 of 13 ADVERTI5EMENT SECTIONS LOG IN Chuy's, home of the Elvis South Beach Wine & Food i Italian Presley Memorial Combo, Festival 2020: 3 counties, 5 Valkn V brings over -the -top Tex-Mex days, 111 events ... and a living tl Submitted into the pub 'c record�em(s)'— on City Clerk Head and facial injuries from riding electric scooters have tripled over the past decade as ridership has increased and helmets remain optional, studies show. Mansour believes most people still don't recognize the danger from electronic scooters, even as emergency rooms treat concussions and brain hemorrhages. "It's rare that riders are wearing helmets or other protective equipment and there is little to protect you from serious harm," Mansour said. RELATED: E -scooters to keep rolling in Fort Lauderdale Recent national studies document the extent of serious head injuries from electronic scooters, which are double the number experienced by bicyclists. In surveying 39,000 scooter riders nationwide who went to the emergency room with injuries in 2018, researchers from the University of California found more than a third had head injuries. The trend is seen in South Florida as more scooter riders hit the streets in the handful of cities where they are allowed. The challenge: few riders wear helmets. http://www.sun-sentinel.comlhealthlfl-ne-scooter-injuries-20200201-dsyh3 3 j ftzevflcxdnw... 2/13/2020 More e -scooters on the roads, and more riders sent to hospitals with head injuries - South ... Page 4 of 13 Advertisement SECTIONS LOG IN Chuy's, home of the Elvis South Beach Wine & Food i Italian Presley Memorial Combo, Festival 2020: 3 counties, 5 Val in V brings over -the -top Tex-Mex days, 111 events ... and a living tl Submitted into the pub 'c record focZite(s)on //iCity Clerk According to the national study, only 2% to 4% of injured scooter riders were wearing a helmet when they got hurt. In addition, another 2019 study looking at shared e -scooter related injuries from Austin Public Health, in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found only one of 190 injured scooter riders in Austin was wearing a helmet at the time of injury. The law In Florida, scooter drivers must be 16 or older with a valid driver's license. Riders are not required to wear helmets as long as the scooter does not exceed 30 miles per hour. The law says riders can operate scooters on sidewalks, bicycle paths or in the roadway, and must obey the same traffic laws as bicyclists. In cities like Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Key Biscayne, Miami Lakes, Coral Gables and West Palm Beach, riders grab an e -scooter off the side of the road, unlock it with an app and pay a base fare and per -minute charge. h4://www.sun-sentinel.com/health/fl-ne-scooter-injuries-20200201-dsyh3 3jftzevflcxdnw... 2/13/2020 More e -scooters on the roads, and more riders sent to hospitals with head injuries - South ... Page 5 of 13 SECTIONS LOG IN Helmets aren't available to rent with the electronic scooters and most Chi L@4?l%rti ffib@Ai9n sp slyhel?40� + Italian Presley Memorial Combo, Festival 2020: 3 counties, 5 Vai in V brin s over -the -to Tex-Mex da s, 111 events ... and a` living tl R�E•LATED: pFort Laud abou'r•to ban e -scooters on 4h, Riverwalk and Las Ulas Boulevard Fort Lauderdale Fire & Rescue doesn't track how many of the injured were wearing helmets, but responders see the result of riders who have a drink or two and impulsively jump on a scooter for fun — without head protection. On East Las Olas Boulevard, where cars jam the streets and people stroll on sidewalks, Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue responded to more than 25 serious electronic scooter accidents in 2019 that required the injured person to be transported to Broward Health Medical Center. "Without a doubt, if not you are not wearing a helmet and riding these scooters, your likelihood of severe injury is so much greater," said Steve Gollan, a spokesperson for Fort Lauderdale Fire & Rescue. Dockless scooters have been in South Florida on and off since early 2018. Scooter companies now operate in Fort Lauderdale, Miami and West Palm Beach, along with a few suburbs in Miami -Dade County. Lime told the Sun Sentinel that consumer demand remains strong in Florida and it has had oo,000 trips on its scooters. Cities say these pay -by -use scooters offer an alternative method of transportation. Yet they also have drawn public safety concerns as accidents keep mounting. In total, there were 146 accidents in Fort Lauderdale in the last year and 87 in Miami from April 2019 to mid- January. Submitted into the public record fpr it m(s) %E 1 j on 113 U)'' City Clerk http://www. sun-sentinel.com/health/fl-ne-scooter-injuries-20200201-dsyh3 3 jftzevflcxdnw... 2/13/2020 More e -scooters on the roads, and more riders sent to hospitals with head injuries - South ... Page 6 of 13 ;VAq,jnjured LOG IN Chumbamu is 0orgoS&Yi44yc ]WWW Food Italian Presley Memorial Combo, Festival 2020: 3 counties, 5 Vai in V bri oyer -the- . p Tex-Mex a s, 111 ev is .. and a`-� living tl ie jumped on a scoot shit work:ost ays, the-Rgeld C/ .OG1.U11Ly 6Ua1U aL 1J1VVVa11111Ga1LU 6VL a 11116 11V111G 11V111 l.V-VVV11�G10. 1JUL when she couldn't get a ride, she decided she would make the four -mile journey home on a Lime scooter. Jordan, riding in the street and not wearing a helmet, was about halfway home when she collided with a Toyota Corolla at an intersection in a residential area. ADVERTISEMENT SUbmitted into the public record for i em(s) J ,E . on 1 City Clerk RELATED: Fort Lauderdale woman in coma after electric scooter crash She now lies in a vegetative state at Broward Health Medical Center with a fractured skull, a severe brain injury and multiple broken ribs. Doctors also had to remove a portion of her skull. Her family has been warning people that scooters are dangerous and the companies who rent them are not being clear about where to ride the scooters. "People need to know and understand riding a scooter is http://www.sun-sentinel.com/health/fl-ne-scooter-injuries-20200201-dsyh33j ftzevflcxdnw... 2/13/2020 More e -scooters on the roads, and more riders sent to hospitals with head injuries - South ... Page 7 of 13 C P b Ashanti Jordan is in a vegetative state in Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale after becoming injured in an electronic scooter accident in December 2018. (Photo courtesy of Ashanti Jordan family) very dangerous for people why.. I N don't do it regularly," said Todd uth BgaahMORAFina LauWL�� s Italian stival 0 3 u ti s, 5Val in V Ys, 11 ��'t u la h living tl "" rPrirPCPntinu .Tnrrian in a lawc»it against Neutron Holdings, also known as Lime. "We're not talking about a toy that if you U fall you scrape your knee. People need to know what happened to my client. Your life can end a v, operating these scooters." o E Falzone said putting riders in the streets with cars puts them p in danger for more than just scuffed knees and bruised elbows. "Our infrastructure is not ready for this technology. There is no safe place to operate scooters in South Florida," he said But it's not just street traffic that leads to head injuries. Some say the dramatic expansion of scooter rental companies has led to parts shortages and maintenance issues that have resulted in broken bones, bleeding heads and lawsuits. When Maria Carla Cassola wanted to meet friends for dinner on Brickell Avenue in Miami, the 26 -year-old hopped on a Lime scooter. Shortly into her ride, Cassola says the brakes failed as she approached a busy street crossing, and when she tried to steady herself, she fell backward, banging her head on the concrete. In a lawsuit against the Lime's owner, Neutron Holdings, Cassola claims the brake failure caused her to use her foot to stop the scooter at a red http://www.sun-sentinel.com/health/fl-ne-scooter-injuries-20200201-dsyh33jftzevflcxdnw... 2/13/2020 More e -scooters on the roads, and more riders sent to hospitals with head injuries - South ... Page 8 of 13 t --which resulted in the backward fall. She says her scooter app hadSYETI LOG IN indicated a "maintenance re uired" notice before the accident, but a Lime Chuytalpidwgee6istiftWing ers ftutb1he baWJmf$aFh%tk o the Italian Presle Memorial o Festi I �P20: 33�caoun les 5 Vai an V brin ' � h� �p � � C t a r w �S 1 °A �.v�' a'was t 'I a living tl -1hncnitnl lnr hPr hParl ini»ry cni(i T.imP Md nrit iirnvirlP lhPr n hPlmPt "We believe it's their duty to provide helmets for riders," said Alexander Esteban, Cassola's attorney. The helmet challenge As injuries surge along with scooter popularity, wearing a helmet has not been an easy habit to instill — not just in Florida but around the country. ADVERTISEMENT Scooter companies Lime and Bird say they've stepped up their safety programs, offering helmets and distributing rules of the road to prevent accidents. Bird says although the company has given away more than 75,000 helmets nationwide in the last 18 months, availability did not result in riders wearing them. Now, the company is trying to encourage more people to protect their heads. Submitted into the public record fir a m s) M 1 5 on_ " / 03/1 City Clerk http://www.sun-sentinel.comlhealthlfl-ne-scooter-injuries-20200201-dsyh33 jftzevflcxdnw... 2/13/2020 More e -scooters on the roads, and more riders sent to hospitals with head injuries - South ... Page 9 of 13 'ED: Electric scooters thrive in Florida as they vanish from LOG IN some other parts of U Chuy's, home of the Elvis South Beach Wine & Food1 Italian Presley Memorial Combo, Festival 2020: 3 counties, 5 Vai in Vo brir��'6�£F $f��A' 1 its �f t�Wscar��,gn in living tl "As over one million fans and potential riders arrive in Miami, Bird wants to encourage responsible riding before the Big Game," the company said in a written release. Riders can receive future credits by taking a helmeted self-portrait photo in the app at the end of the ride. Bird began the pilot program in Washington D.C. in November, with Miami becoming the fifth city where the helmet safety campaign rolled out. Paul Steely White, Bird's Director of Safety Policy & Advocacy, acknowledged the concerns about head injuries from electronic scooters in a written release. "... We want to help improve adoption around helmet usage to reduce injury severity in the event of an incident," he said. Accident triggers Part of the problem behind injuries, experts say, is that roads and sidewalks aren't designed for the new transportation mode. By driving on South Florida streets, scooter riders more easily come into contact with moving cars, which puts them at greater risk of serious injury such as head trauma. While research related to shared e -scooters has just started to be reviewed, Consumer Reports noted that 75% of the known fatalities with shared e -scooters were due to collisions with cars. Along with car traffic, lawsuits in Broward County also reflect issues with scooter malfunction that has led to accidents and injuries. RELATED: Hollywood bans dockless scooters » Submitted into the public record for ' em(s) _ on13 City Clerk http://www.sun-sentinel.comlhealthlfl-ne-scooter-injuries-20200201-dsyh33jftzevflcxdnw... 2/13/2020 More e -scooters on the roads, and more riders sent to hospitals with head injuries - Sou... Page 10 of 13 SECTIONS LOG IN The waiver Chuy's, home of the Elvis South Beach Wine & Food Italian Preft"" U@OM* iSC elr* QEr Mft9d.5Wh e Vai n V brings over -the -top T -Mex days, 111 eve is ... and a L ivi g tl -rent a -scooter, trey agr terms awl con@tions that are lu L L ified 111 L11G app UUL QL.L.GJJIUIU L111VU611 a 11y.PUIII111,. 1116 LU11110 IVI "lilt; JL.VVLUIJ include a waiver that dismisses all legal rights to sue in Florida and have a jury trial. Instead, Lime requires injured riders to arbitrate a claim in California, where the most they can be compensated is $ioo. LATEST HEALTH Sheba Medical Center event focuses on pancreatic cancer Beware of coronavirus scams and claims a bout'confirmed' cases and cures Surgeon General says Florida is clear of coronavirus — for now "If people understood the nature of the risk and the waiver they are agreeing to, I don't think people would get on them," Falzone said. Jordan's lawsuit will challenge the validity of the waiver and a Broward judge will decide in February whether the injured woman's case will be tried by a jury in Broward County. The outcome could set a precedent for others to invalidate the waiver. "People are getting thrown around and ending up with brain injuries," Falzone said. "Cities would love to reduce the vehicles on the road but the option has got to be safe." J Submitted into the public_ record �j r " em(s) k , .5 on tl 13 � . City Clerk http://www. sun-sentinel.comlhealthlfl-ne-scooter-injuries-20200201-dsyh33 j ftzevflcxdnw... 2/13/2020