Children seriously injured in scooter and car crash at Alexandra Headland
Two teens are still in hospital after an e-scooter and car smash, as authorities warn while “they look like toys” e-scooter accidents are rising dramatically and they can be fatal.
Emergency Services
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Two 13-year-olds are still in hospital after a horror e-scooter and car crash at Alexandra Headland on Tuesday.
Authorities are warning residents to be safe on e-scooters amid a rise in accidents.
The boy and girl suffered injuries after their scooter collided with a car at Mayfield St on Tuesday around 5.15pm.
Queensland Ambulance Service said only one helmet was found at the scene.
The Mountain Creek boy suffered critical injuries with “very serious head trauma” and the Alexandra Headland girl had hip and back injuries.
They were flown to Queensland Children’s Hospital where as of Friday morning they were in stable conditions.
Maroochydore Ambulance station Senior Operations Supervisor Dianne Rigby said during a press conference on Wednesday that paramedics found one helmet.
“I don’t know whether it was on or being worn properly, but I don’t believe both were wearing helmets,” she said.
She said the two children were reportedly “flung into the air”.
Ms Rigby said paramedics had been called to “a lot of very serious incidents” involving e-scooters, both affecting riders and pedestrians.
“I don’t think a lot people are actually aware there are laws around this designed to keep people safe. They look like toys, they look like a lot of fun,” she said.
Both were in critical conditions after the accident, Ms Rigby said, though the 13-year-old boy was in a worse state with significant head injuries.
The 34-year-old Mooloolaba woman and driver of the silver Suzuki Vitara wagon involved in the crash, helped render first aid along with witnesses before paramedics swiftly arrived, Ms Rigby said.
The woman was not injured.
Early reports from the driver of the vehicle and eyewitnesses suggest the e scooter turned in front of the car at the Alexandra Headland intersection.
Police said the teens were travelling eastbound along George Street when the collision occurred with the car travelling north along Mayfield Street.
Matheus Castro, 35, saw the aftermath of the crash as he travelled home.
“There was a middle-age man directing the traffic and there were people laying on the sidewalk, right on the sidewalk or right next to it and I could see one pair of shoes at the top of George St,” he said.
He has lived on George St since May 2020 and raised concerns about the increasing traffic on the roads feeding off Buderim Av.
Witnesses, especially those with dashcam vision of the crash or the moments leading up to it are asked to come forward.
Police earlier had closed the street as emergency services treated the children and made the scene safe and has since reopened.
The accident comes as hundreds of Queenslanders have been injured or even killed since the e-scooter boom began several years ago.
Police said in December they would be targeting illegal and dangerous e-scooter riding as part of a festive season traffic blitz with a particular focus on the Gold and Sunshine Coast.
They urged users to wear helmets and safety equipment, pay attention to the road rules and be aware of other traffic and road users.
The Metro North Hospital and Health Service recorded 952 e-scooter-related presentations at Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, Princess Alexandra and Mater hospitals between November 2018 and June last year.
Townsville Hospital had 256 e-scooter-related presentations in the 18 months to July this year, while Gold Coast and Robina hospitals recorded almost 200 e-scooter injury cases in the past two years.
Metro South Hospital and Health Service had 247 e-scooter accident presentations in 2021.
The state government recently introduced tougher penalties for e-scooter riders flouting the law as part of a safety crackdown.
Users busted speeding more than 30km/h over the limit can now be slapped with a $575 fine and those using mobile phones can be slugged $1078 – the same as motorists.
Riders caught travelling up to 14km/h over the speed limit can be fined $143, and those nabbed speeding between 14km/h and 20km/h over the limit are being hit with $215 penalties.
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