{"id":18490,"date":"2018-09-14T13:40:57","date_gmt":"2018-09-14T19:40:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=18490"},"modified":"2022-09-06T08:07:36","modified_gmt":"2022-09-06T14:07:36","slug":"electric-scooter-crashes-on-the-rise-in-denver","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/electric-scooter-crashes-on-the-rise-in-denver\/","title":{"rendered":"Electric scooter crashes on the rise in Denver"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>
\"A
Phil Schaefer riding on his electric longboard. He’s holding a ski pole with a GoPro mounted on it to film his ride. Schaefer had a bad crash in August and won’t ride on city streets now since it’s too dangerous. Photo courtesy of Phil Schaefer.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Don\u2019t ride\u00a0electric scooters and longboards on city streets.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the advice Phil Schaefer gives now after suffering a painful lesson.<\/p>\n

\u201cLearn from me. There\u2019s a time and place for these: daytime in parks or on mixed bike paths,\u201d said Schaefer, 33, who works in the Neurosciences Center<\/a> at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019m going to stop riding my electric board in town. Every time I rode, I had a near miss. I almost got hit every single time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then came his unfortunate clash with a car in August that resulted in serious injuries.<\/p>\n

Experts at the UCHealth Urgent Care at Steele Street<\/a> in Denver\u2019s Cherry Creek neighborhood say Schaefer is far from alone. They\u2019ve seen an uptick in accidents over the last couple of months from new electric scooters that arrived in Denver this spring, along with stand-up Segway touring vehicles that have been around much longer.<\/p>\n

Schaefer can\u2019t drive at times because of his health. He had a terrible ski accident in a terrain park at Copper Mountain back when he was 17. He wasn\u2019t wearing a helmet, and, as a result of the accident, now has epileptic seizures that flare up and affect him about once every six months.<\/p>\n

(Click here<\/a> to see a video of Schaefer riding his electric longboard.)<\/p>\n

Because of his accidents, Schaefer is also a major proponent of helmets for cyclists, skateboarders, scooter riders and skiers.<\/p>\n

To get around, Schaefer loves riding a longboard. He has an electric one that enables him to cruise fast \u2013 up to 20 miles an hour.<\/p>\n

Electric longboards, scooters and bikes have become increasingly popular in cities across the U.S. with devices with names like Bird, Lime and Skip popping up in busy urban areas. Commuters can hop on them to cruise part of the way to work. Or young people ride on them instead of driving or taking an Uber or Lyft.<\/p>\n

As the transportation devices have grown in popularity, so, too, have injuries. (Click here<\/a> to see a story about electric scooter accidents around the U.S.)<\/p>\n

Schaefer likes the idea of an alternative to riding the bus or using a ride share service.<\/p>\n

But Denver, like many cities, doesn\u2019t allow the devices on streets or in designated bike lanes. Riders are supposed to zip along on sidewalks, but that\u2019s dangerous because they\u2019re riding much faster than pedestrians.<\/p>\n

A beautiful night. An unfortunate crash.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Schaefer ran into trouble \u2014 and a car \u2014\u00a0on a beautiful evening in August. He lives in the Congress Park neighborhood in Denver and rode his longboard just 10 blocks to grab a burrito with friends one night.<\/p>\n

On his way home, late at night he was wearing a helmet and a bright headlamp so cars could see him. He was enjoying the warm summer air and riding near the Denver Botanic Gardens when a construction zone led to trouble.<\/p>\n

Barricades and fencing blocked the sidewalk, so Schaefer was riding in the street. The barriers also blocked his view of a stop sign. Schaefer thought he was clear to cross the intersection, so he kept going, and unfortunately, slammed into a car. The collision knocked Schaefer down and the car\u2019s back passenger wheel ran over his left leg from his shin to his toes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t as bad as it could have been,\u201d Schaefer said.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, because of his helmet, he didn\u2019t suffer head injuries as many people do when they get hurt on electric scooters and longboards.<\/p>\n

But, Schaefer had some bad breaks on both the front and back of his tibia, where it meets the ankle. He also chipped off part of his calcaneus bone, the bump on the side on the ankle, and he suffered extensive ligament and tendon damage.<\/p>\n

A Denver police officer responded to the scene and gave Schaefer a $90 ticket for going through a stop sign. He ended up spending several hours in the ER, endured a lot of pain and has been in a boot ever since. He\u2019s due to start physical therapy in a couple of weeks.<\/p>\n

Uptick in accidents. Alcohol and cell phones aggravate injuries.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Megan Hubbard and Valorie Baxter are both physician assistants at the Steele Street Urgent Care in Cherry Creek. Since the center is open 7 days a week and until 8 p.m. every day, they see plenty of people who have just had accidents.<\/p>\n

\"Headshot
Valorie Baxter is a physician assistant at the UCHealth Urgent Care – Steele Street cllinic in Denver. After seeing head and hand injuries from electric scooter injuries in recent months, she’s urging riders to wear helmets and be very cautious when riding.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In recent months, both have seen an increase in patients who have crashed on motorized scooter crashes. Injuries have ranged from road rash to bad hand fractures, head injuries and concussions.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe scooters travel up to 20 miles per hour. Imagine traveling at that speed, hitting a pothole and being hurtled onto hard cement or even crashing into another vehicle. Now, imagine not wearing a helmet,\u201d Baxter said.<\/p>\n

As a result of crashes like those, Baxter and her colleagues have seen head injuries and blunt trauma.<\/p>\n

Baxter tries to make patients feel better by calling falls \u201cgravity attacks.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s been an increase in use of these scooters in various cities and it\u2019s a growing market in Denver. The more scooters that are out there, the more gravity attacks we will have,\u201d Baxter said.<\/p>\n

Hand injuries can also be bad, both women said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe try to brace ourselves with our hands when we fall. Sometimes we fall directly on the handlebars and it pulls our thumbs apart and causes damage to the ulnar collateral ligaments,\u201d Baxter said.<\/p>\n

Hand injuries can really impair people since it\u2019s typical to fall on your dominant hand. If the injuries don\u2019t heal well over time, they can worsen and cause complications well after the initial accident.<\/p>\n

As with all vehicles, using alcohol and marijuana or your cell phone while trying to ride a scooter can make accidents worse, both women said.<\/p>\n

\"Headshot
Megan Hubbard is a physician assistant at the UCHealth Urgent Care – Steele Street. She and colleagues have seen an uptick in accidents from electric scooters.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cSome of the patients I saw were using their phones. They want to record everything and take pictures as they ride,\u201d Hubbard said.<\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019re driving a car, a bike or a scooter, you have to pay close attention.<\/p>\n

\u201cObey the laws. Pay attention to street signs,\u201d Hubbard said.<\/p>\n

She sees people getting into trouble when they navigate from sidewalks into streets.<\/p>\n

\u201cCrossing the street is tricky. You have to stay off your phone, wear a helmet, be careful and pay attention,\u201d Hubbard said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd definitely do not drink and drive any motorized vehicle,\u201d Baxter said. \u201cAbsolutely, wear a helmet. And, unless you\u2019re in an area that is very well lit, I would avoid riding at night. You won\u2019t be able to see far in front of you.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just like a motorcycle,\u201d Baxter said. \u201cYou don\u2019t have that armor and protection around you. As much fun as everyone has on scooters, I\u2019d remind them to be responsible and vigilant.\u201d<\/p>\n

A sense of freedom, but dangerous too<\/strong><\/h3>\n

As for Schaefer, he said he\u2019s feeling much better now.<\/p>\n

He feels lucky that his accident wasn\u2019t worse and wants to spread the word among other young people.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve seen many people on the rental electric scooters who are riding in the street, not obeying traffic laws, not wearing helmets and buzzed from the bars. It\u2019s cheaper than Uber, so people will start to take these home from bars instead of taking Uber or Lyft,\u201d Schaefer said.<\/p>\n

When he sees people riding carelessly, Schaefer wishes he could deliver them a message.<\/p>\n

\u201cObey the traffic laws and don\u2019t ride\u00a0on downtown Denver\u00a0streets,\u201d\u00a0said Schaefer. \u201cOnly ride them on bike paths. Unfortunately, that\u2019s just the way it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Schaefer understands why the motorized devices are so popular.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey give you that sense of freedom. And they\u2019re cheaper than riding Uber,\u201d Schaefer said.<\/p>\n

Still, he\u2019s going to play it safe and stay far away from city streets.<\/p>\n

He enjoys practicing slalom turns in Denver\u2019s City Park and he\u2019ll still ride in the mountains.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love to ride my electric longboard on the bike path around Lake Dillon and in Vail near the golf course,\u201d Schaefer said.<\/p>\n

He doesn\u2019t think government entities can adequately regulate motorized scooters and longboards. Young people who love them will need to step up.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s our responsibility to be responsible,\u201d Schaefer said.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Don\u2019t ride\u00a0electric scooters and longboards on city streets. That\u2019s the advice Phil Schaefer gives now after suffering a painful lesson. \u201cLearn from me. There\u2019s a time and place for these: daytime in parks or on mixed bike paths,\u201d said Schaefer, 33, who works in the Neurosciences Center at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital. \u201cI\u2019m going […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2123,"featured_media":18496,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[3418,235,351,209],"class_list":["post-18490","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-concussions-and-head-injuries","tag-emergency-care","tag-primary-care","tag-urgent-care"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nElectric scooter crashes on the rise in Denver - UCHealth Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As electric scooters grow more popular, crashes are on the rise. 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