In Lviv, during June and the first week of July, doctors recorded 58 visits from children injured while riding e‑scooters. In 19 cases, the injuries were so severe that the children had to be admitted to hospital.
According to Lviv medical institutions, 26 children were brought from the scene by emergency medical teams, while a further 32 sought help on their own. These figures cover the city’s hospitals, including St Nicholas Children’s Hospital of the First Medical Association of Lviv.
Doctors stress that they are increasingly dealing specifically with serious consequences of children falling from e‑scooters. These include not only complex open fractures, the treatment of which can drag on for months, but also dangerous traumatic brain injuries that can cause lasting neurological impairment.
This is not only about complex open fractures, the treatment of which lasts for months. The greatest danger is posed by traumatic brain injuries, which can lead to severe neurological disorders for life. Last year, we had three children who were diagnosed with brain death after falling from e‑scooters. The problem is that children often use scooters not as a means of transport but as a form of entertainment: they ride without helmets, several at a time, and perform dangerous manoeuvres. The consequences of such actions can be tragic — Ivan Miskiv, Director of St Nicholas Children’s Hospital of the First Medical Association of Lviv.
As clarified by the city health department, from March to May alone more than 100 children with severe injuries sustained while riding e‑scooters were admitted to municipal and regional healthcare facilities in Lviv. Last year, three children who had suffered critical injuries as a result of falls from such vehicles became posthumous organ donors after being diagnosed with brain death.
Against the backdrop of the rising number of injuries, at the beginning of July Lviv tightened the rules for using rental e‑scooters. In particular, a minimum user age of 16 has been set, the compulsory use of protective helmets introduced, a speed limit of 15 km/h imposed on high‑risk sections, and parking areas regulated.
Earlier, Lviv City Council appealed to the Cabinet of Ministers and the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, calling for the rules for using e‑scooters to be regulated by law. The corresponding appeal was announced during a session of the city council.