"Scalped Face." Doctors Terrified: 50% of Emergency Room Cases Following Scooter Accidents
The scale of injuries in children after accidents on electric scooters is growing exponentially, doctors warned during a briefing at the Świętokrzyskie Pediatric Center in Kielce.
"Gross injuries occur— jaw fractures, facial scalping, intracranial hematomas . It's not even the number, but the severity of these injuries that is terrifying ," said Dr. Beata Jurkiewicz, a national consultant in pediatric surgery.
She pointed out that children ride electric scooters without any safety devices , often in pairs, and the vehicles themselves allow them to reach high speeds.
"Two children are currently hospitalized in Olsztyn with serious injuries—one with an intracranial hematoma, the other after craniofacial reconstruction. It's a real plague in Warsaw," she emphasized.
She added that among the more than 100 patients who recently came to the Emergency Department of the Children's Clinical Hospital on Żwirki i Wigury Street, half suffered injuries while riding scooters and bicycles .
According to data from the Kielce hospital, in the first six months of this year alone, over 50 children were admitted to the emergency room due to scooter accidents. In all of 2024, the number increased to approximately 70. Of the total number of road injuries involving children, over 40% involved electric scooters. Nearly 100% of the injured were not wearing helmets or protective gear .
The provincial consultant for pediatric surgery, Dr. Przemysław Wolak, admitted that doctors cannot keep up with the treatment of the effects of such injuries.
"A child falls off a scooter and lands facedown on the asphalt. We have jaw fractures, chest and abdominal injuries. Children often ride scooters and use cell phones, staring at the phone, oblivious to anyone else. We had a patient who drove right under a truck," he said.
He added that the scooters have factory speed limiters, but these are bypassed and children can reach 60 km/h on them .
Dr. Anna Nowakowska-Kurek, head of the pediatric intensive care unit, where the most severe cases are admitted – patients with brain injuries and multiple organ injuries – also spoke about the effects of such accidents.
"We must be aware that severe brain injury is a life-threatening condition. Last year, two 10-year-old patients with severe brain injuries were brought to us while riding the same scooter . I appeal to parents to wear helmets, even though there is no obligation to do so, and to supervise their children while riding scooters," she said.
According to doctors, raising awareness alone isn't enough; state authorities need to be forced to change road traffic regulations. According to Dr. Jurkiewicz, specific and timely regulations are needed, including, above all, mandatory helmet wearing.
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