A young boy is fighting for his life after sustaining head injuries when he crashed his e-scooter into a car only days after a teenage girl was killed in a similar collision.
Paramedics arrived at an intersection where a 13-year-old boy on an e-scooter and a white Suzuki collided in the Bundaberg suburb of Norville, Queensland on Wednesday.
It is understood the teenage boy was not wearing a helmet and was flown to Queensland Children’s hospital with ‘horrendous head injuries’,
The teenager remains in a critical condition.
Senior Constable Edwin Gompelman told 7 News the teenager was on the e-scooter with his friend but had ‘ridden into the path of [an] approaching vehicle’.
The 13-year-old boy collided with a white Suzuki and is in a critical condition. He sustained head injuries and was not wearing his helmet
The driver of the Suzuki was not believed to have been speeding at the time of the accident and is not under investigation for any wrong doing.
The latest accident follows the tragic death of a 13-year-old girl who was killed when the e-scooter she was riding on crashed into a car in Perth’s northern suburbs.
CCTV showed the crash about 2pm on the major highway of Wanneroo Road in Wanneroo on March 28 when the girl crossed the road as a 4WD approached.
The teenager was rushed to Perth Children’s Hospital with life threatening injuries and later died. The driver of the 4WD was not injured.
A 13-year-old girl (pictured) has died in a crash involving her e-scooter and a car in Perth ‘s northern suburbs last week
The horrific Bundaberg collision, which may leave the teenage boy with life-changing injuries, has prompted chief inspector Grant Marcus to warn people about the dangers of e-scooters.
‘This is an opportunity to remind our members of the community, to remind our parents, to remind young kids, that these e-scooters, although they might be fun to play with, on the roads they’re not a toy,’ he said.
Queensland Ambulance Service supervisor Martin Kelly believes the 13-year-old may have contributed to his life-threatening injuries because he wasn’t wearing a helmet.
‘It’s not cool having a serious head injury,’ he said. ‘These are lifelong consequences from a couple of minutes.’
Mr Kelly said wearing a helmet can mean the difference between a person sustaining a head injury or not.
Daily Mail reported on Thursday that the Queensland Government bans children aged 12 to 16 from riding e-scooters without adult supervision.
Queensland state government’s website also states electric scooters can only be used on a street that has a speed limit below 50kmh with no dividing line.
If a person breaks the road rules whilst riding a personal mobility device, they may be given the same fines as motorists but will not accumulate demerit points.
E-scooter rules are outlined clearly on the Government of Western ‘s website
In Western it is not permitted for anyone under 16-years-of-age to ride an e-scooter.
Like Queensland law, people must also not ride on roads that have a speed limit over 50kmh and a dividing line.
Helmets are required to be worn at all times in Western .
NSW is currently trialing e-scooters in specific locations but it is currently illegal to ride a personal e-scooter on any other road or a road-related area, such as a footpath, shared paths and bicycle lanes.
They can otherwise only be used on private property, and users can face fines of several thousand dollars if caught by police.
Victoria currently has trial rules, meaning it is illegal to ride e-scooters on footpaths, people must be 16 and over, ride only on roads that have a speed limit of 60kmh or less and on bike or shared paths.
Helmets must be worn.
South is also still trialing e-scooters in specific areas and riders must be 18 years and over and wear a helmet.
Electric scooters in Tasmania are approved for footpaths, shared paths and bicycle paths.
Riders must be 16 and over and must wear a helmet.
READ MORE: Cairns resident stunned to see a child towing a tinnie with his e-scooter
An onlooker was stunned to see a young boy tow a boat on his e-scooter. The child struggled to control the boat and scooter and ended up in the middle of a busy street