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Fractures, head injuries seen as most common collision injuries involving standing electric scooters
According to a recently published study, fractures and head injuries are the most common injuries seen in collisions involving standing electric scooters.
Researchers performed a case series with a retrospective cohort medical record review for 249 patients who presented to the emergency department with injuries associated with use of a standing electric scooter between September 2017 to August 2018. Investigators also observed electric scooter riders at a selected public intersection that surrounded the area between two hospitals. Incidence and injury characteristics and observation of common scooter use practices were among the main outcomes and measures.
Results showed 228 patients were injured as riders and 21 patients were non-riders. Investigators noted 27 patients who were younger than 18 years of age, 10 riders wore a helmet and 12 patients either had a blood alcohol level of greater than 0.05% or the treating physician thought they were intoxicated. Of the injuries, 31.7% were fractures and 40.2% were head contusions, sprains or lacerations that were without either a fracture or head injury. According to researchers, 182 of the 193 electric scooter riders observed in the local community did not wear a helmet. – by Monica Jaramillo
Disclosures: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.