‘Mum, am I dead?’ Mum’s warning after 12yo critically injured in e-scooter crash

“It’s the biggest mistake I have ever made. If I could take that back, obviously I would,” mum Rebecca said. 

A Queensland mother is urging other parents to stop their children from using e-scooters after her daughter suffered critical injuries on her way to school.

On Wednesday morning, Ruby-Storm, 12, was on her way to school, riding her e-scooter on the footpath in Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast, when a car reversing from its driveway struck the tween.

The 12yo was reportedly pinned under the car, which was being driven by a green P-plater, with bystanders rushing to her aid and saving her life. 

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Ruby was struck by a car while riding her e-scooter to school. Picture: Courier Mail

“The first thing she said was ask if she was dead”

Ruby was rushed to Sunshine Coast Univeristy Hospital, suffering critical injuries, including two collapsed lungs and possible brain damage. 

Luckily, Ruby was wearing her helmet when the accident happened, which bore the brunt of the damage and protected her head from serious injuries, likely saving her life. 

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Placed in an induced coma, the tween regained consciousness and finally opened her eyes on Friday evening. 

Ruby’s mother, Rebecca, recalled her daughter’s first words since the accident. 

“The first thing she said was ask if she was dead,” she told the Courier Mail. “She didn’t know where she was.” While Ruby was “excited to see” her mum and dad, the tween “doesn’t really remember what happened”. 

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The following day, only a few days after the horrific accident, Ruby’s condition continued to improve, something that her mum said was nothing short of a miracle. 

“Ruby is awake … this is unbelievable. She is going to for sure have a full recovery,” her mum said. “No one can believe this. She is breathing all by herself. 

“She is one of the toughest people I know. She is a miracle.”

Doctors are yet to determine whether the 12yo has suffered brain damage, but mum Rebecca is gobsmacked by how fast her daughter is recovering, who is now walking and talking again. 

“It wouldn’t surprise me if she cartwheels out of here,” she said. 

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"She is one of the toughest people I know. She is a miracle." Picture: Courier Mail

“Do not put your child on an e-scooter”

Ruby has always been a sport-obsessed kid who loved going outside and playing with new toys. But when she begged her mum for an e-scooter, Rebecca immediately had her reservations. 

It took weeks of begging from the tween before Rebecca relented and purchased the motorised vehicle, a decision she now deeply regrets making. 

“Do not put your child on an e-scooter,” Rebecca told 7News. “It’s the biggest mistake I have ever made. If I could take that back, obviously I would.”

Rebecca has since urged other parents to think twice before purchasing an e-scooter for their own children, lest they suffer the same fate as Ruby. 

“I could just teach some other parents to not put another child on a scooter; don’t do it,” she pleaded. 

The 21-year-old woman who was driving the car that hit Ruby has since been interviewed by Queensland Police, but no charges have been laid. 

Originally published as ‘Mum, am I dead?’ Mum’s warning after 12yo critically injured in e-scooter crash