ST. LOUIS — Dozens of people are recovering from brain injuries, fractured skulls and broken bones and it's not the result of a deadly attack. We're talking about scooter injuries programs rolled out in St. Louis.
Three Washington University professors and one associate professor sent a letter to St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson urging her to consider a task force consisting of healthcare providers, public health officials, law enforcement officials and scooter company representatives to address the safety issues related to E-scooter use in our community.
Between Aug. 6 and Oct. 20 of this year, the doctors confirmed at least 68 scooter-related injuries treated in their emergency department alone.
A spokesman for the mayor's office released the following statement:
"We sincerely appreciate Washington University’s engagement on this critical issue. We share their physician’s concern for the safety of our residents. We are committed to convening meetings with our Bike Share Working Group, public health officials, and scooter and bike share companies to discuss educational outreach programs and other measures we can take to make this mode of transportation safer."
The companies who operate scooters in St. Louis quickly responded with emails pointing out their focus on safety.
Lime's "Respect the Ride" campaign pledges to hand out 250K free helmets over the next 6 months. A second scooter company, Bird, established a global safety advisory board and will mail you a helmet for a small shipping fee. Both companies say they are committed to working with government officials to promote safety.
You can view the letter detailing the severity of the scooter injuries by clicking here:
