One in Four Children Seriously Injured in E-Scooter Accidents Require Intensive Care, Queensland Study Finds
A new study from Queensland Children’s Hospital (QCH) has revealed the alarming risks facing children who ride e-scooters, with one in four seriously injured children requiring intensive care and two-thirds needing surgery.
Published in the ANZ Journal of Surgery, the retrospective study reviewed cases of paediatric e-scooter injuries requiring hospital admission for more than 24 hours at QCH between January 2009 and September 2024. In total, 64 children aged 16 and under were admitted with serious injuries sustained while riding e-scooters. Disturbingly, two children died from severe brain injuries neither was wearing a helmet at the time.
The study also found that 38 percent of children who suffered head injuries from e-scooter accidents experienced ongoing functional impairments affecting cognition, learning, communication, and mood. From 2021 to 2024, e-scooter-related hospital admissions more than doubled, mirroring the growing popularity of e-scooters in Queensland.
Head, face, or neck injuries were the most common, accounting for 51.6 percent of cases, with skull fractures recorded in 40 percent. Fractures were the most frequently seen injury overall. Falls were the leading cause of injury (70.3%), followed by collisions (29.7%). More than half of the collisions involved motor vehicles.
Notably, 64.3 percent of patients with known helmet status were not wearing a helmet at the time of their injury. Additionally, over 20 percent of the injured children were under the legal riding age for e-scooters in Queensland.
Professor Roy Kimble, Director of Paediatric Surgery, Burns and Trauma at QCH, highlighted the “stark reality” of severe and life-altering injuries since the introduction of e-scooters.
“The incidence of e-scooter accidents is increasing, and they are causing serious, sometimes fatal, injuries in children,” Professor Kimble said. He noted that more than 65 percent of patients required surgery, including 28 percent who underwent neurosurgery.
“A helmet should be non-negotiable, even for short trips. A helmet can mean the difference between an acute head injury and long-term neuro-cognitive consequences.” He further called for more robust safety measures and increased public awareness of the risks posed by e-scooters.
The findings underscore the urgent need for improved safety practices and stricter regulations to protect children from the growing danger of e-scooter-related injuries.
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