E-scooter rider dies after West End crash

Witnesses have described the ‘tireless’ efforts of paramedics to revive an e-scooter rider who died this morning after he crashed into a pole.

Police at the scene of the crash on Montague Rd in West End. Picture: Brad Fleet

An early morning ride ended in tragedy when a man on an e-scooter crashed into a light pole seconds after overtaking a cyclist on a riverside bikeway.

The rider, aged in his 50s, was using his personal scooter along Riverside Drive, near the Go Between Bridge in West End, when he crashed about 6.30am on Monday.

Concerned pedestrians rushed to render first aid to the man and onlookers said paramedics worked tirelessly to save his life for more than 20 minutes but he died at the scene.

Witnesses told police that the scooter rider, who was wearing a helmet, “became a bit wobbly” after overtaking a push bike seconds before he hit the pole.

A man has died after an e-scooter they were riding crashed into a pole on Montague Rd in West End. Picture: Brad Fleet

Inspector Daniel Bragg said the forensic crash unit was investigating whether the man had a medical episode.

“We do know that a scooter overtook a push bike just prior to the incident however the push bike rider wasn’t travelling at any great speed,” Inspector Daniel Bragg said

“We are exploring the distinct possibility that the scooter rider had a medical episode and that precipitated the crash.”

Insp Bragg said pedestrians rushed to help the man and rendered first aid until paramedics arrived.

One witness told the Courier-Mail that paramedics worked on the man for more than 20 minutes but were unable to revive him.

“It’s very sad,” the woman said.

Insp Bragg said it was not the first scooter-related death he had attended, stressing that roads were a “dangerous” place for them.

“There’s no doubt that the scooter riders are particularly vulnerable because they don’t have the protection that a car’s got,” he said.

Sunshine Coast dad Richard Stockdale, 40, was killed when he lost control of his electric scooter and hit a pole at Waterford, south of Brisbane, on September 6 last year.

Richard Stockdale, 40, died while riding his electric scooter home at Waterford in September last year.

Mr Stockdale died just minutes after he had visited his 12-year-old daughter for Father’s Day.

In May 2019, a 50-year-old Woolloongabba man died after he fell from a Lime scooter while on a midnight ride through South Bank Parklands.

Many e-scooters have the horsepower to travel in excess of 50km/h, but on public property Queensland riders are only allowed on footpaths travelling up to 25km/h.

Under current legislation in Queensland, e-scooters that exceed these conditions are considered a motor vehicle, meaning riders can technically be regarded as operating an unlicensed vehicle.

Many Queenslanders have chosen to purchase their own privately-owned scooter, but legally the same rules apply as rental companies like Beam or Neuron.

Brisbane was the first Australian city to trial electronic ‘Lime’ scooters in 2018, which clocked up 1.8 million rides within the first twelve months.