By admin 
GLENDALE, AZ (AZFamily) — A 13-year-old boy died earlier this week in an e-bike crash near Glendale.
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It’s a tragedy that comes as new data shows a sharp rise in children ending up in the emergency room after e-bike and scooter accidents.
Injury data shows sharp increase
According to a Truveta study of e-bike and scooter emergency room visits, pediatric injury rates have jumped 7.5-fold since 2023.
Nationally, e-bikes and scooters sent 150,000 people to the ER in 2024, and patients under 18 saw the steepest rise in injuries of any age group.
ER doctor warns of hidden injuries
Dr. Frank Lovecchio, a Valley ER physician and Arizona State University professor, told Arizona’s Family he’s treated broken bones and torn ligaments from e-bike and scooter crashes. But it’s the injuries he can’t see that worry him most.
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“So as an emergency physician, you know, what worries me isn’t just like the scrape of the knee,” Lovecchio said. “It’s the patient who looks okay, but there might be a concussion. Maybe they could have avoided that by wearing a helmet. You know, there could be spinal injury. You know, these crashes can have consequences that, you know, aren’t always visible.”
Lovecchio is urging parents to make sure their kids wear helmets while riding.
Many cities have already begun adding new rules aimed at curbing dangerous e-bike and scooter riding.
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