BREWSTER, MASS. (WHDH) – E-bikes are speeding around the state and their surging popularity is fueling trips to the ER.
“It would be my peaceful time,” said Lynne Forester.
Walks on the Cape are part of Lynne and Gerry Forester’s daily routine. In September, their hike on the Cape Cod Rail Trail turned hazardous.
“I was probably on this side like this. I got knocked down either straight or whatever and I was right at the edge,” said Forester.
The 69-year-old was knocked down by someone riding an e-bike. The impact sent her face first into the pavement.
“I couldn’t move. I couldn’t move my legs. I couldn’t move anything,” said Forester. “I was like somebody help me.”
The bike’s handlebars slammed into her eye. She was flown to Mass General for emergency surgery.
“I knew I had tremendous head pain every time I woke up. It was just horrible” she said.
Forester isn’t the only victim of an e-bike accident. Just a few weeks earlier, Minh Dang was struck by an e-bike near Copley Square.
The 64-year-old had just got off the phone with his wife when he was struck near the intersection of Dartmouth Street and Huntington Avenue. Dang hit his head on the ground. His family tells 7 Investigates that his injuries were so severe they thought he was struck by a car.
Dang died in the hospital the next day.
According to Mass General, in the last five years, 90,000 people have gone to ERs nationwide with e-bike injuries. Head trauma and broken limbs are the most common.
“The e-bikes go really fast,” said Mass General Hospital Pediatric Emergency Physician, Dr. Eric Fleegler. “The actual force on the patients themselves is much greater which leads to, of course, trauma.”
The average rider on a traditional bicycle travels 15 miles per hour. E-bikes, which give riders a motor assist, can reach speeds of more than 30 miles per hour.
“At 30 to 40 mph you’re basically on a motorized scooter or a motorcycle at that point,” said Paramedic Captain Justin White of the Harwich Fire Department
“Juveniles are getting these e-bikes. They’re modifying them. Basically overriding the safety features of the e-bike thus causing aserious issue but it’s also causing serious injury,” said Milford Police Chief Robert Tusino.
Forester is still working to regain sight in her eye by taking things one step at a time.
“It’s sitting in that this might be my life now,” said Forester. “It’s just sad.
State Leaders are considering changes to by requiring helmets, license and registration to ride e-bikes. They also want to set a minimum age for e-bike riders.
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