Lime scooter rider killed in crash wasn't wearing helmet, had been drinking

A 23-year-old who died after falling off a Lime e-scooter wasn't wearing a helmet and had been drinking. Almost seven years after Toben Hunt's death in 2019, Coroner Alex Ho has released his report on the fatal scooter accident. Hunt had attended a work function at Auckland's Viaduct on the 16th of September, 2019. "Toby drank alcohol at the function. He left at around 6pm. He hired a Lime electric scooter and did not put on a helmet," Coroner Ho wrote. "At about 6.10 pm, in daylight before sunset, he was riding the e-scooter on Westhaven Drive towards Herne Bay. He was travelling at around 25 kilometres per hour in the middle of the single westbound lane." A witness driving behind Hunt said the 23-year-old turned and checked for traffic before losing control of the scooter. "As he looked over his shoulder he started drifting to his right, towards the centreline of the two lane road," the witness said. "As he got closer to the centreline, he came 'unstuck', by that I mean the rear wheel of the scooter lifted quickly and he went over the handle bars. "[He] let go of the scooter and had performed a complete 180 degree turn in the air before he hit the ground." Hunt was rushed to Auckland Hospital with brain bruising, bleeding and swelling. He died four days later, on the 20th of September 2019. He said speed was another factor, but stopped short of recommending a change to the maximum speed of e-scooters. "Reducing the speed at which electric scooters can travel would certainly make it safer for both riders and pedestrians. However, just like for motor vehicles on roads, safety is not the only consideration," he said. "Regulators must also take into account the utility of vehicles being able to get around in a reasonable time... The road toll would undoubtedly decrease if cars were restricted to travelling at 10 kilometres per hour, but this would come at a high time cost." Ho recommended that anyone riding an electric scooter should wear a helmet, but noted they weren't mandatory. "While helmets are not legally required for people riding e-scooters in New Zealand, [the Transport Agency] strongly recommends wearing a helmet. It emphasises that helmets can significantly reduce the risk of head injury," Ho wrote. A spokesperson for the Ministry for Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport told RNZ further work would be required to weigh the safety benefits of mandating helmets on e-scooters. Transport Minister Chris Bishop told RNZ he encouraged e-scooter users to "ride responsibly, wear helmets and be considerate of pedestrians," but didn't indicate any plans to reassess the law on helmets. Instead, Bishop said he wanted to allow e-scooters in cycle lanes. "Under current rules, e-scooters aren't permitted in cycle lanes. I think this is outdated and dangerous," he said. "This will be updated by the end of 2026, meaning e-scooter users will be able to use cycle lanes instead of the footpath where a cycle lane is available." In a statement, Lime said it had cooperated fully with the inquiry and accepted the Coroner's findings. "We extend our deepest condolences to Toben's family and friends," a spokesperson said. "We note the Coroner's comments on helmet use and encourage all riders to wear a helmet every time they ride." Helmets for escooter riders needs to be compulsory Emergency medicine and paediatric emergency physician Dr Stuart Dalziel said Hunt's death was a tragedy and something that needed to be prevented from happening to someone else. Speaking to Morning Report on Tuesday morning, Dalziel said medical professionals were seeing an "increasing" number of injuries in hospital due to e-scooters. Last year, 4000 people were injured in e-scooter accidents - with half of that number either children or young people, he said. It averaged out to about 10 people per day and was causing a "significant cost" to the economy. Dalziel said types of injuries includes head injuries, broken bones, lacerations and sprains. In his opinion, wearing a helmet while riding an e-scooter would create a "huge difference" in terms of the number of injuries seen. It "doesn't make sense" for helmets to be compulsory for cyclists but not e-scooter riders when both are travelling at similar speeds. "It's a gap that needs to be corrected." Currently, Dalziel said it wasn't something the government was taking action on, although he said it needed to be made a priority and would be a "relatively simple piece of legislation". "We simply need to change things." This story was first published on rnz.co.nz |