What parents should know: Statistics show rise in hazards with kids driving e-vehicles in Omaha

An 11-year-old boy is in critical condition after a severe e-bike crash this week. Statistics from local hospitals show that most kids are not wearing helmets when they crash.

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DCSO reports over 270 calls for children on e-bikes, scooters since May

OMAHA, Neb. —

As summer continues, Omaha is seeing more and more kids driving e-scooters on the streets.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said it has received almost 270 calls since May regarding road hazards in relation to electric vehicles. On top of that, its CAT Team is averaging seven calls per day relating to similar activity.

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An 11-year-old is in critical condition after the child entered an intersection on an electric scooter and was hit by a pickup truck. The boy was taken to Children’s Hospital with life-threatening injuries. This case is still under investigation by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.

Statistics from Nebraska Medicine show it has seen 52 patients in connection with e-scooter collisions since 2021 in the trauma department, which treats severe injuries from things like car crashes, falls, gunshot wounds and burns.

“Through the month of May, we had a total of 14 incidents involving both the e-bike or an e-scooter, which is more than three times the amount that we were seeing in an entire year in 2022,” Dr. Paul Aylward, pediatric medical director at Nebraska Medicine, said.

Aylward said the most concerning injuries they see are head injuries when people are not wearing helmets. He said these head injuries can cause life-altering complications or even death.

Scott Brown, trauma outreach and injury prevention coordinator at CHI Creighton University Medical Center, said they have seen 14 crashes that qualified as e-bike or e-scooter collisions since April.

Brown said he is currently working with community fire departments to create requirements for anyone 16 years old or younger to wear a helmet.

The DCSO released a statement from Sheriff Hanson on Thursday regarding safety on roadways and in neighborhoods. He said they anticipate seeing busier streets and more individuals out on bikes and scooters as the summer continues.

They are asking everyone to be cautious and defensive on roads and to hold each other accountable. They said safe roads are everyone’s responsibility, even if you are not behind the wheel.

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