Bicycle and Scooter Injuries on the Rise at Bellevue Hospital
There’s been a noticeable spike in the number of people arriving at Bellevue Hospital’s emergency room with severe injuries from bicycle and scooter incidents. Notably, incidents involving electric vehicles have surged in recent years, according to a new study.
Between 2018 and 2023, over two-thirds of the nearly 1,000 patients treated for these injuries at the Manhattan hospital ended up being admitted, with half undergoing surgery. The study, featured in the journal Neurosurgery, found that about half of these patients had been struck by cars, while others had either fallen from their bikes or scooters or were pedestrians impacted by these vehicles.
The lead author, Hannah Weiss, a resident physician in NYU Langone’s neurosurgery department, expressed concern over the influx of such injuries. She noted hearing similar cases repeatedly during her shifts: “Another patient fell off an e-bike, another patient fell off a scooter. Pedestrian hit by e-bike, pedestrian hit by scooter.”
Weiss mentioned that it became increasingly common during her initial years of residency.
In recent times, e-bikes and other electric vehicles have become a common sight throughout New York City, especially among delivery workers and commuters. However, this uptick has also been accompanied by a worrying rise in dangerous incidents, including battery-related fires and some fatal accidents, prompting concerns among local officials. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch spearheaded a crackdown on e-bike users last year, and Citi Bike reduced its e-bikes’ maximum speed to 15 miles per hour following requests from the Adams administration. The city has also begun launching safe charging stations for e-bikes, particularly for delivery workers.
Despite the increase in e-bikes and scooters, the study highlights that sensible safety measures seem to be lacking. Riders often operate without helmets or while intoxicated, which results in more severe injuries.
According to the study, the spring and summer seasons—when New Yorkers often opt for bike rides instead of public transport—are the peak times for these injuries. In the spring and summer of 2022, nearly 150 people with bicycle or scooter-related injuries visited Bellevue, a figure roughly three times higher than in 2018. The numbers did decrease somewhat in the spring and summer of 2023, though that data remains incomplete.
The proportion of injuries involving e-bikes or electric scooters increased significantly during the study period, climbing from under 10% in 2018 to over 50% in 2023.
However, Weiss pointed out that it’s not entirely clear if the rise in electronic vehicles is the primary cause of the overall increase in injuries or if it merely reflects their growing popularity alongside other contributing factors. The severity of injuries appears to be comparable in incidents involving traditional bicycles, too.
That said, other elements are strongly linked to more serious injuries, such as the absence of helmets and alcohol consumption. “It tells us that most of the brain injuries that we see are likely preventable,” Weiss remarked.
Only about one-third of the patients in the study wore helmets, and those who opted not to were at a higher risk for traumatic brain injuries and facial injuries. Additionally, individuals who were intoxicated were less likely to wear helmets, according to the findings.
