DENVER — A man riding an electric scooter died Friday from injuries he sustained when he was hit by a car on August 4, Denver police said in a tweet Monday morning.
Cameron Hagan, 26, was riding a scooter eastbound in the westbound lanes of West 32nd Avenue near Federal Boulevard when he rode directly in front of a Honda Civic and was struck, according to a traffic report released Monday by the Denver Police Department.
No charges are expected against the driver of the car because it was determined that Hagan was at fault, police said.
In April, Swedish Medical Center’s parent company HealthOne tweeted an estimate from an emergency room employee, who said the hospital sees about 20 scooter-related injuries a week.
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Denver Health, the closest emergency room to downtown Denver, where scooters get a lot of use, said in April that it didn't have a numerical estimate.
“We’re seeing people injured in scooter accidents at least several times a week,” said Dr. Eric Lavonas, an emergency physician at Denver Health.. “Some of these injuries are minor – some are very serious.”
“I’ve certainly seen people with broken wrists and broken ankles. I’ve also personally taken care of two patients with very devastating head injuries,” he said.
Current ordinance in Denver allows electric scooters to operate in bike lanes and streets with speed limits of 30 mph or less. If either of those aren’t an option, electric scooters can operate on the sidewalk, traveling at a speed of 6 mph or less.
Last week Denver Public Works (DPW) announced it made an ordinance change recommendation to the Denver City Council to prohibit the use of electric scooters on city sidewalks.
“Based on rider behavior observed and feedback received through Denver’s Dockless Mobility Pilot Permit Program, Denver Public Works made an ordinance change recommendation this morning to Denver City Council’s Land Use, Transportation & Infrastructure Committee to prohibit electric scooters on sidewalks," Denver Public Works spokeswoman Heather Burke said in a news release.
If the change is approved, scooter riders would need to follow the same rules as people on bikes and electric bikes by riding in the street or in designated bike lanes. DPW referred the ordinance change recommendation to the city council for consideration later this month.
The Dockless Mobility Vehicle Pilot Permit Program started last summer and was set to end July 31. Last month, DPW announced that the pilot program would now run through August to allow details of the ongoing program to be finalized.
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