On a summer day in Delaware County last year, 12-year-old Abigail Gillon and her best friend were riding an electric scooter together when they fell into the road and were struck by a car. Abby tragically lost her life. Her friend survived with serious injuries.
Stories like Abby’s are becoming more common.
At pediatric trauma centers like Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, clinicians are seeing the consequences of rising e-bike and e-scooter use among children and teens in real time. Research led by CHOP analyzing national injury data has documented a sharp rise in injuries linked to e-scooters and e-bikes among children, including a more than 70 percent increase in recent years…