Electric bikes (e-bikes) are everywhere throughout the San Diego area. They offer cyclists the opportunity to go farther and faster, whether they’re commuting, need their bike to do their job or are getting a good workout alone or with their bike group.
With the rise of e-bikes, emergency room doctors say they’re seeing more and more people coming in with serious and even critical injuries. Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego’s director of trauma surgery says, “We see a combination of head injury, orthopedic injuries and fractures, spine fractures, road rash and abrasions to the skin. It’s not exclusive to e-bikes, but anecdotally, it does seem we are seeing more cases because there is a larger volume of e-bikes.” Orthopedic injuries can involve muscles, tendons and joints.
According to a recently published study in JAMA Surgery this year, between 2017 and 2022, 45,000 e-bicyclists throughout the country ended up in the ER and 5,000 were admitted to the hospital with injuries.
Speed and weight contribute to the severity of injuries
Most e-bikes can go as fast as at least 20 miles per hour. That means even a crash that involves no one else can cause serious injuries – especially if the cyclist isn’t wearing a helmet. If it involves a vehicle, the injuries can be even more serious or even fatal.
E-bike weights vary, but they weigh more than traditional bikes. This weight can contribute to the severity of injuries. A cyclist traveling 20 mph who’s thrown from their bike by a car who has their bike land on them can be seriously hurt. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) e-bicyclists are more likely to suffer internal injuries than those on regular bikes.
Some of these injuries we’ve discussed can have long-term if not permanent effects on someone’s life. They can require many thousands of dollars’ worth of medical care and rehabilitation. If someone else was responsible for the crash, don’t settle with them or their insurer until you have a reasonable idea of what’s ahead of you. Getting experienced legal guidance as soon as possible can help you protect your rights to compensation and justice.