Hospitals across the country, including Sturgeon Community Hospital, are seeing a rise in e-scooter injuries.
A University of Alberta study published in April included 759 presentations of e-scooter-related injuries at emergency departments in the Edmonton area. The study found that 20 per cent of patients arrived by ambulance and 14 per cent were triaged as urgent. Fractures and head injuries were among the most common, and 62 per cent of riders had multiple injuries.
Helmet use was also infrequent, at just two per cent of people wearing them, while 26 per cent of riders were under the influence of substances. Nine per cent of people required surgery within 30 days of the initial visit.
"These are not benign injuries," said Dr. Erin Bristow, a researcher on the study and an emergency medicine physician at the University of Alberta Hospital. "If you think 17 per cent of people are having head injuries, nine per cent are needing surgeries—these are significant injuries that are super important to someone's, you know, the rest of their life, or the rest of their summer."
The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) released data, showing a 32 per cent increase in e-scooter injuries from the previous year.
Bristow said prevention measures are key.
"We know using helmets saves lives and reduces head injuries in bikes. And I think using a helmet would be an easy thing to do," she said. "I also think that one of the other things to do is to not use these devices while under the influence of substances."
She added, "I'm not saying we need to ban e-scooters by any means. It is fun to jump on an e-scooter, but I do think there needs to be safe ways to do it."
St. Albert resident Dustin Solomon said he's experienced the risks firsthand. He has a personal e-scooter and uses it as a mode of transportation when the weather allows.
"I've broken my collarbone and my ankle," Solomon said. "It's lots of fun, pretty dangerous when I ride it. I wear elbow pads, knee pads, and a full face helmet, like motocross style helmets."
He explained that he broke his ankle while trying to do a bunny hop off the curb. He said he also broke his collarbone when riding his e-scooter and couldn't balance himself, so he fell off.
"You have to be careful when I ride it," said Solomon. "I usually ride at night and I use reflective clothing and stuff. And you've got to pay attention when you're crossing the street and respect the stop signs, you know, like you're a vehicle at that point when you're going, like 60km/h, or whatever, you know."
Sue Stasiuk, the owner of Boot-N-Scooter in St. Albert, explained that personal e-scooters can reach speeds of up to 70 km/h. She explained that when riding e-scooters, people need to take precautions and wear proper protective equipment, which includes a full-faced helmet.
"A bicycle helmet on an e-scooter is not sufficient. A full face needs to happen because your whole jawline is covered," she said. "Safety is the big thing."
When people shop from her store, she said that she ensures they are educated on the risks associated with riding an e-scooter and that they have the proper safety equipment.
Dr. Brian Rowe, a researcher on the study and an emergency medicine physician, said the rental market began in 2019 and usage has expanded, especially in communities like St. Albert and Stony Plain, where privately owned scooters are more prevalent.
"People have referred to them as equitable active transportation," he said. "So they're much cheaper than a taxi or an Uber and they are probably more convenient in the sense that you drive it to where you want to."
Rowe explained that one of the reasons injuries are occurring is that people are inexperienced riders. He explained that he knows of one woman who was riding an e-scooter and felt like it was going too fast, so she jumped off and injured herself.
Rowe also said that people aren't wearing the proper protective gear when riding the e-scooters.
"Take it seriously. Wear a helmet, don't drink and ride. Try to stay on bike lanes and shared paths where cars don't interact with you, don't do crazy things," Rowe said. "They're here. There's no way we're going to get rid of them. But there should be ways of protecting people from injury, and a head injury is a really big thing for the patient, for the family, for the health care system."
Rowe said many riders don't fully consider the risks when they step onto an e-scooter.
"One of the things we noticed in the surveys is people didn't realize there was a risk associated," he said. "They just thought it was a lot of fun."
