Warnings and extra ER doctors as more B.C. kids seriously injured on e-scooters

E-scooters are mostly to blame for a surge in injured children at emergency departments.

What starts as an afternoon of fun is ending in a trip to the hospital for dozens of B.C. children injured on e-scooters each day, with the busiest emergency department in western Canada adding more doctors to keep up with the volume.

Health officials have been warning about the rise in injuries from the popular two-wheeled devices, and Lower Mainland emergency departments are now seeing so many that they’re speaking up to avoid more pain and life-altering injuries.

Read more: E-scooter injuries are on the rise among both kids and adults, data and doctors say

At Surrey Memorial Hospital alone, 15 to 20 children are treated for e-scooter injuries each day, ranging from road rash to disability.

“Because they’re high-impact injuries and kids are smaller and more prone to involvement of multiple organs, and their balance and co-ordination may not be as good, plus they may not be aware of traffic laws, then that’s a very high-risk situation for serious trauma,” explained Dr. Navid Dehghani, head of the pediatric ER at SMH.

He said they routinely treat injuries well beyond broken bones, including crushed airways, serious internal bleeding, and head injuries that require neurologists to operate. Not only that, he pointed out that CT scans to evaluate injuries are not ideal for youngsters since the radiation can put them at increased risk of cancer later in life.

Dr. Amol Lail, the head of SMH’s staff association, says since that hospital isn’t a designated trauma centre, they aren’t set up for the most serious injuries but will always provide care when panicked parents take their child to the closest ER and determine what treatment is best and where.

“We are worried that we’ll continue to see more and more serious accidents and injuries with this and warning parents and the public of the dangers,” he said. “(E-scooters) can pick up speed so fast and once the injury happens, you can’t undo it.”

Dehghani added that half of the children they treat aren’t wearing helmets, which can’t completely prevent a concussion but provide considerable defense against skull fractures.

The transportation minister is adamant that children shouldn’t be on e-scooters and pointed out that they’re only legal for those aged 16 and older. Mike Farnworth pointed out that a pilot project is still underway in 34 communities across British Columbia to see how the current rules requiring their use in designated bike lanes and always with a helmet are working.

“The data from that along with work done by the Brain Injury Institute and ICBC will help shape any decisions,” he told CTV News, acknowledging the number of underage riders is a concern for him. “The reality is, when someone is using it, regardless of age, they should be wearing a helmet, but the age issue is something that the pilot project will help us determine about what kind of regulations or changes need to be made in the future.”