‘Stop taking over our walkways’: Plea from elderly victim of horror e-scooter crash

An elderly woman, who was knocked unconscious and hospitalised for four days with facial injuries, after being struck by an e-scooter speeding down the pathway, is now petitioning for a government crackdown on electric vehicles.

An elderly woman is calling for the government to crack down on electric vehicles “taking over our walkways”, after she was knocked unconscious by a speeding e-scooter, in a crash which saw her hospitalised for four days suffering facial injuries and temporary vision loss.

Woollahra woman, Nora White in her mid 80s, has launched a petition calling for “safer walkways” following a horror crash with an e-scooter on February 3.

Her petition, which is currently doing the rounds among fellow residents at Anglicare retirement village, calls for putting a stop to “e-bikes and e-scooters taking over our walkways and sidewalks”.

The retired nurse said she was returning home from the chemist just after 4:30pm, when she was hit from behind by an electric scooter speeding down Queen St in Woollahra.

An e-scooter, the section of Queen St Woollahra where the incident occurred.

The next thing she remembers is waking up bleeding from her face and unable to open her left eye, while distressed bystanders peppered her with questions to gauge her condition.

“I didn’t know what was going on, I don’t remember being hit from the back, they just said ‘you’ve been hit by a scooter’”.

Ms White was then taken by ambulance to St Vincent’s hospital, where she stayed for four days, suffering an optical fracture and temporary vision loss to her left eye, requiring several stitches.

“I could have been killed, maimed, lamed and stuck in a nursing home for the rest of my life … that part of my eye is still not right,” Ms White said

“The important thing is I’m alive, but I wanted to do something about those e-scooters and bikes, they are such a nuisance and come at such a rate, they should be banned from the sidewalk.”

Even before the crash, Ms White states she was wary of being clipped by electric vehicles hurtling past on her daily strolls around the neighbourhood.

“I always walk close against the wall to give them plenty of room because they just fly past,” she said

“It’s awful you have to feel like that … threatened to walk down the sidewalk, it’s just gone crazy these bikes and scooters over the last couple of years.

Graham Clarke at the scene where the crash occurred. Source: Wentworth Courier

Ms White is also eager to get in touch with the “good Samaritans” who stopped and assisted when she was knocked out.

“I just want to say a big thank you, they could have just walked away and gone about their day but they were so nice,” she said

Local business owner, Graham Clarke called triple-0 after the crash occurred right outside his store.

“I saw her lying down on the floor with another man supporting her, she had blood all over her face, there was quite a lot of blood so we had to wash that down the next day,” he said

Mr Clarke said the impact of the hit saw the rider thrown from his scooter, who then became visibly distressed, begging for somebody to call his father.

“He was going so fast, he kept saying ‘I've got to call my father, I’ve got to call my father,” Mr Clarke said

“It’s so dangerous, it’s bad enough with the guys flying by on pushbikes, I’m just surprised no one’s been hit before.”

As part of her course of action, Ms White also wrote to Premier Chris Minns and Member for Vaucluse Kellie Sloan, using her experience to highlight why action was needed.

In a reply letter, Kellie Sloane wrote she was “appalled” by the incident, stating “I fully support regulating these types of transport that dangerously share our sidewalks.”

“I was appalled to hear it was an E-scooter that crashed into you, while walking home on the sidewalk, this could happen to any of us without

warning,” Ms Sloane wrote.

“I am so sorry to hear of your distressing experience. It is a miracle that you were not more seriously hurt.”