St. John’s doctor says more, increasingly serious e-scooter injuries are being seen

As an emergency medicine physician in St. John’s, Dr. Gillian Sheppard has seen injuries from e-scooter accidents.

Sheppard, who is also a professor at Memorial University, says there’s been an increase in accidents involving micro-mobility vehicles — including e-scooters and e-bikes — often driven by children. Along with that, she says, there’s been an increase in the severity of the injuries they cause.

With her first-hand perspective and that of her colleagues across the country, Sheppard believes those devices are being driven by people much too young to be using them.

While the majority of the injuries she’s seen are among teenagers, she’s also seen injury patterns for children as young as five and nine years old.

“Our stance, from a health care perspective — both as emergency physicians and pediatricians — is that children under 16 should be prohibited from using these vehicles entirely,” said Sheppard.

She isn’t the only one.

Both the Canadian Pediatric Society and an injury prevention group called Parachute Canada both recommend that e-scooters and e-bikes not be operated by children under the age of 16.

Anyone younger than that age isn’t developed enough, both physically and cognitively, to handle the machines, she says.

“As children and youth, we like to take risks, right?” said Sheppard. “We like to do things that are dangerous. That’s part of growing up, and it’s one thing to do that when you’re on a bicycle that is a pedal bike versus an e-scooter that’s travelling upwards of 32 kilometres per hour, and in some cases faster.”

Over the last couple of years, injuries related to the usage of e-scooters and e-bikes in the province have risen. According to NLHS, there were 10 documented cases of injuries in 2024, and that rose to 46 by mid-September 2025.

Sheppard figures that number is going to jump again as they start compiling the statistics for 2026.

“My impression of the increase is that these devices have become more popular,” said Sheppard.

“So e-bikes and e-scooters are becoming a more common mode of transportation for children and youth in our communities, and that they don’t have the adequate skills, knowledge, and physical protection that they need to be safe on e-bikes and e-scooters.”

The injuries caused during these accidents come in a couple of forms.

There are scrapes, bruises, and other soft tissue injuries, along with broken bones and other types of trauma.

Sheppard said doctors are seeing what they call multi-system trauma in patients who are involved in accidents, which usually involves multiple broken bones and the like.

“We may have internal organ injuries to the liver or the spleen, or to the chest, including the lungs and the heart,” said Sheppard.

“Most worrisome is that we’re seeing more head injuries. So, we’re seeing more concussions, and we’re also seeing traumatic brain injuries.”

When concussions get involved, things can get messy for anyone, let alone a young child who is still developing.

Repeated concussions can cause permanent changes in a young brain, which can have repercussions in many parts of their lives.

“They can develop symptoms of inattention and difficulty concentrating, which can affect their ability to learn over time,” said Sheppard.

“For children who sustain traumatic brain injuries, these are profoundly life-changing events. Many of these children have to relearn how to walk, how to talk, how to feed themselves.

“They undergo extensive physiotherapy and occupational therapy over many months and many years, and their lives and the lives of their families are completely altered.”

Last summer, the province announced it was taking a hard look at updating the Highway Traffic Act to include the regulation of both e-scooters and e-bikes.

Doing so would give municipalities and police a better idea about how to address the problem.

After a call for public submissions closed in September, the Department of Government Services anticipates delivering new legislation during the upcoming sitting of the House of Assembly.

How that legislation will look remains to be seen, but the department did have some 1,300 people answer the questionnaire, while another 70 submitted written responses.

“Operators of micro-mobility vehicles are encouraged to follow general rules of road safety, wear protective gear such as a helmet, and to not carry more people at one time than the number for which it is designed and equipped,” wrote Lloyd Parrott, minister of government affairs, in a statement last month.

For anyone considering buying one of those vehicles for a loved one, Sheppard believes it’s important for people to understand the risks.

With a lack of legislation regulating their usage, parents, grandparents, and anyone else are flying blind in a way.

For instance, what helmet should be used while operating an e-scooter is something parents should be asking. While it is common to see users wearing a helmet in this province, Sheppard said it might not be the right one.

She recommended a certified moped or motorcycle helmet for anything travelling over 32 kms an hour. For speeds less than that, a properly fitting bicycle helmet is recommended.

Then there’s the question about having the proper training to operate them safely and knowing the rules of the road.

“We know injury, for the most part, is preventable,” said Sheppard. “We have a responsibility as health-care providers, but also as community members, as family members, and as policymakers, to enact regulation around these devices for parents, so that they can make the right choices for themselves and their children.”