An e-scooter rider is critical, and long delays are being felt across Brisbane in a morning of traffic chaos
A man is in a critical condition after a car and e-scooter crash in South Brisbane, with police describing the “confronting” scene for witnesses.
Emergency Services
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A man has been taken to hospital in a critical condition after an e-scooter and car crash in inner Brisbane this morning that caused long traffic delays.
Emergency services were called to the scene in South Brisbane at 5.37am.
The e-scooter rider was taken to Princess Alexandra Hospital after colliding with a rideshare vehicle.
A bystander and the driver of the vehicle immediately rushed to help the 24-year-old rider, who sustained critical head injuries.
The rider was wearing trade equipment and tools, indicating he may have been on the way to work. Acting Inspector Simon Mortimer said he believed the man was not wearing a helmet.
The driver of the car, a 31-year-old Eight Mile Plains man, was not physically injured.
The busy intersection is flanked by shops and cafes, and police described the scene as “confronting” for witnesses getting their morning coffees, with debris strewn across the road from the impact.
“You lawfully need to be wearing a helmet,” Acting Inspector Mortimer said.
“We would implore people riding e-scooters or any type of recreational device or bicycle to be wearing a helmet. Obviously, all of the information out there is that you are more likely to come out of an incident if you’re wearing a helmet than not.”
“[E-scooters] are considered a recreational device, they shouldn’t be on marked roads. They should be abiding by things as a pedestrian would, and giving way to pedestrians,” he said.
“They’re a great way to travel around, but be very careful on them, wear your safety equipment, because accidents do happen.”
One of the pieces of debris marked out with spray paint on the road was an AirPod, but Acting Inspector Mortimer could not confirm whether the e-scooter rider had been using any listening device when he collided with the car.
“We’re still working out the details of exactly what occurred and how it occurred.”
The intersection of Melbourne Street and Edmonstone Street was closed to traffic while Forensic Crash Unit investigators attended the scene.
Police are appealing for witnesses to come forward, especially those with dashcam vision of the crash and the moments leading up to it.
The Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads website says that riders should use paths whenever possible, but they are able to ride on local roads where it is safe to do so provided the vehicle speed limit is 50km/h or less and the road has no dividing line or median strip.
It is also legal for riders to cross a road or avoid an obstruction on a path for up to 50m.
In the 12 months to February 28, there were 1,824 fines issued for riders not wearing a helmet in Queensland, which is a significant increase from the 666 fines issued in the 12 months before that.
In June, the Queensland government announced the speed limits for e-scooters will be capped at 12 km/h on some footpaths, while all e-scooters will need to be fitted with safety devices like a bell.
The new rules come into play on November 1 and will be accompanied by new enforcement powers to take non-compliant devices off the road.
“E-scooters are an emerging form of transport, and they aren’t going anywhere,” Transport Minister, Mark Bailey, said in June when he announced the raft of new rules.
“If anything, their use continues to gain popularity with those who want to leave the car at home or connect with public transport.
“That’s why it’s important we have a plan on how we improve safety for e-scooter riders, and for those who use our cycleways, footpaths and roads.”
Penalties will apply to “high-risk” offences like speeding, mobile phone use, and riding on prohibited roads.
Current penalties for those caught breaking e-scooter road rules can result in fines starting at $143.
Elsewhere in Brisbane on Monday morning, a crash between a van and truck on the Gateway Bridge northbound saw traffic slow along the Gateway Motorway up to 13 kilometres from the scene.
Only minor injuries were reported.
Another incident affected traffic entering the Gateway Motorway in Deagon, where a multiple vehicle crash at Depot Road eastbound blocked the centre lane approaching the Gateway Motorway off ramp, causing minor delays.
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