TROY, Mich. — First responders across Metro Detroit are raising concerns about a growing number of serious crashes and injuries involving electric bikes, electric scooters and electric motos.
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Law enforcement officers, doctors and families gathered Tuesday night to bring attention to the issue following a busy summer that brought increased complaints, emergency calls and hospital visits involving the electric bikes, motos and scooters.
“We have responded to double-digit numbers, just the sheriff’s office this year, double-digit numbers of very serious accidents involving e-bikes or motos,” Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said.
Bloomfield Township police are also seeing a significant number of complaints.
“This year alone the Bloomfield Township Police Department has responded to over 100 complaints involving e-bikes. These complaints frequently involved juveniles riding them in a reckless manner, on the sidewalk and near other pedestrians,” Sean Manor with the department said.
For one Metro Detroit family, the dangers became personal over the summer.
Thirteen-year-old Kasen Kalef crashed his electric scooter in Rochester Hills in July. His mother, Jessica Kalef, said her son took a turn too quickly and fell.
“He slid across the roadway. There are no sidewalks where we are,” Jessica Kalef said. “He had road rash on one side, but when he fell, he hit his head on the concrete and also tried to brace it with his arm, and that’s how he broke his wrist.”
Jessica said she is thankful her son's injuries weren't worse.
“You can heal road rash, you can heal a broken bone with time, but you can’t heal a brain,” she said.
Kasen has since recovered. He was cared for through DMC Sports Medicine. He credits his helmet with helping protect him from a potentially much more serious head injury.
“Wearing my helmet could have saved me from huge head trauma, so I’m happy I wore it and I’m happy I listened,” Kasen said.
Doctors say they are seeing the consequences of crashes involving electric bikes, scooters and similar devices in emergency rooms.
Dr. Kelly Levasseur, medical director of pediatric emergency medicine at Children’s Hospital of Michigan, said patients can suffer multiple serious injuries in a single crash.
“With these, we’re seeing multiple injuries and significant injuries, so it’s not usually one fracture. It’s multiple fractures,” Levasseur said. “They can have a skull fracture, jaw fractures, and both arms are broken.”
Levasseur said the injuries have become an increasingly common sight during her shifts.
“Now it’s to the point where almost every shift I come to, I see somebody with an injury,” she said.
The concerns are now prompting some Metro Detroit law enforcement agencies to look at ways to prevent additional crashes and injuries.
“We are simply not waiting for a tragedy to act,” said Lt. Lamar Kashat with the Sterling Heights Police Department.
The Sterling Heights Police Department is working on a possible ordinance addressing the issue. Bloomfield Twp. Police have organized e-bike safety courses and a plan to make their streets safer.
Meanwhile, Bouchard said he is talking with lawmakers in hopes of pursuing new legislation.
Jessica Kalef believes action needs to happen quickly.
“There needs to be some big changes, fast,” she said.
Any proposed statewide legislation would ultimately have to move through Lansing.
