Man dies after falling off Lime scooter at South Bank

The 50-year-old man who fell off a Lime scooter down the stairs near the Wheel of Brisbane, hit his head and went into cardiac arrest, died in hospital on Thursday afternoon.

It was the first death in Australia involving a Lime scooter.

Emergency services said the man fell from the Lime scooter on the South Bank forecourt near the Wheel of Brisbane.Credit: Toby Crockford

In a statement, Lime’s APAC Director of Government Affairs Mitchell Price said: “We are truly saddened by this news, and we extend our sincerest thoughts and prayers to the man’s family. We stand by ready to assist the authorities as they look into what happened.”

The man was found by South Bank security staff, who called triple zero about 12.20am on Wednesday and began attempts to resuscitate the scooter rider until specialist paramedics arrived and took over.

Through the efforts of bystanders and paramedics, the man's pulse returned at the scene and he was rushed to Princess Alexandra Hospital in a critical condition.

Queensland Ambulance Service clinical director Tony Hucker said the Woolloongabba man suffered "traumatic head injuries" at the South Bank forecourt, despite wearing a helmet.

It was believed he did not brake in time and fell down the concrete stairs, hitting his head.

Police said the man rode the hired electric scooter south across the Victoria Bridge and onto the forecourt at South Bank, where he fell.

Lime public affairs manager Nelson Savanh said the scooter's data had been analysed.

"What we can rule out is any malfunction of the scooter itself and we will provide any information that the police are after," he said.

"We can look at the data associated with that trip and provide that information to police ... but we are able to rule out that the scooter didn’t function as it was supposed to."

During the past two months, paramedics have treated 80 people for injuries sustained while riding Lime scooters in the River City – an average of more than one incident per day.

However,  QAS believes the scooters themselves are not to blame. It said the blame should instead fall on riders not being aware of the dangers the electric scooters present.

"They [Lime scooters] have really small wheels and they are prone to catching in divots and holes in the road, so there's probably a higher risk, especially at night," he said.

Of the 80 Lime scooter riders injured in the past two months, 12 have required surgery.

Less than 24 hours after the 50-year-old man crashed on the South Bank stairs, another male scooter rider was injured and hospitalised after losing control.

Paramedics were called to the corner of Moggill Road and Stanley Terrace in Taringa, in Brisbane's south-west, about 11.17pm after a man aged in his 20s fell, while wearing a helmet.

The scooter rider struck a gutter before falling off and suffering face and arm injuries. He was taken to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital in a stable condition.

Mr Savanh said the scooter helmets met national standards and the company would continue to try to improve their communication of safety messages.

"In the six months we’ve been in Brisbane, we’ve seen 900,000 rides since we launched. The vast number of our riders are riding safely and getting to the end of their trip safely," he said.

"When you do sign up as a first-time user for Lime, you’re required to go through an onboarding process, that process outlines how to use the scooter itself, how to park appropriately, it reminds people to wear helmets and gives them a list of the local road rules as well."