Mackay teen suffers ankle injury after e-scooter fall on Harbour Rd

A teenage boy has stacked it just as the new mobility option begins to mushroom across Mackay.

A teen male was taken to Mackay Base Hospital after he crashed off an e-scooter on Harbour Road.

The teenage boy suffered an ankle injury after stacking an e-scooter in Mackay.

Queensland ambulance paramedics responded to reports the boy fell from the scooter on Harbour Road at 8.19pm.

He was taken to Mackay Base Hospital in a stable condition.

The type of scooter was not specified but the incident came 12 hours after the highly anticipated Beam e-scooter launch in Mackay.

Mackay Mayor Greg Williamson formally launched the arrival of Beam e-scooters with a zip around Bluewater Quay.

“I’m really impressed by what is on the bike,” he said.

“I think these will be a great success in Mackay.”

Councillor Pauline Townsend also had a go and said she “absolutely loved it.”

“I felt like a kid again,” she said.

“It’s going to be a great connector.”

Mackay Mayor Greg Williamson goes for a breezy spin at Bluewater Quay on the Beam e-scooter. Picture: Duncan Evans

Singapore-based Beam has introduced the scooters into Mackay, with about 30 parking spots across the city.

The scooters are speed limited and controlled by geo-fencing, which means they will stop working if they go outside the set zone.

The scooters can be used on shared pathways and footpaths and parked anywhere on council land so long as they are not obstructive.

Beam ANZ general manager Tom Cooper says safety is a core feature of the company’s scooters.

“Beam has a strong emphasis on safety, investment in technology to monitor operations and nip reckless behaviour in the bud and investment in education for not only riders but the broader community,” he said.

“For example, we are able to automatically control the speed of e-scooters within certain areas, block rider access to other areas such as high foot-traffic or pedestrian-only streets and detect and correct rider behaviour as it happens.

“Each shared e-scooter is also capped at a maximum speed according to Queensland’s legislation.”