For the second time this summer, a pair of Delco children are in the hospital after an e-scooter collision. Lawmakers want change.
Two 14-year-olds on an e-scooter were struck by a vehicle in Springfield this week, leaving one in critical condition.
For the second time this summer, two Delaware County children are in the hospital — one in critical condition — after a vehicle collided with their electric scooter.
The children, a 14-year-old from Clifton Heights and a 14-year-old from Philadelphia, were struck by a pickup truck Tuesday evening in Springfield Township on the 400 block of North Bishop Avenue, according to Springfield police. The boys were riding on the same scooter.
The crash bears striking similarities to that of 12-year-old Abigail Gillon and 11-year-old Isabella Jones, two Ridley Township girls who in June were struck by a vehicle while riding together on an electric scooter in Aston.
Gillon died from her injuries.
For the Delaware County community, the Springfield crash is a sobering call back to the Gillon tragedy — and is bolstering calls for the passage of “Abby’s Law,” a bill that would impose stricter safety measures on e-scooters as the motorized vehicles surge in popularity nationwide.
“It’s almost like a flashback,” said Ron Kralle, Gillon’s uncle and the administrator behind the Abby’s Law Facebook page. “As soon as I heard, I was like ‘You’ve got to be kidding me. This is insane.’”
Since the June 14. accident involving his niece, Kralle, of Springfield, has become a voice for stricter e-scooter laws.
The Abby’s Law Facebook page has swelled to 3,000 followers within weeks of launch, according to Kralle, and parents from Pittsburgh to Florida have reached out in support of restricting scooter use.
“One lady down the Shore wrote that her and her husband took both their kids’ scooters and threw them in the trash,” Kralle said. “One mother wrote and said, ‘You’ve sealed the deal for me — my daughter is going to be 12 and wants a scooter. I’m not buying her one.’”
Pennsylvania law states that electric scooters are to be driven only on private property, though police don’t always enforce that and municipalities are not unified in their own restrictions on scooters.
After Gillon’s death, Ridley Township reminded residents of a local ordinance that prohibits electric scooter usage on all roadways and sidewalks within the township.
Springfield has no such ordinance for e-scooters, according to Lt. David DiTrolio with the Springfield Police Department. However, the department enforces the state law, he said.
“We’re concerned,” DiTrolio said. “It’s not isolated to Springfield — they’re all over the place … up and down Baltimore Pike, up and down Route 1.”
DiTrolio said Thursday that there were no updates on the conditions of the boys who were struck in Springfield; the one not in critical condition suffered bruising and “most likely” a broken bone in his arm. County investigators are working to discover the cause of the crash, he said.
The lieutenant likened electric scooters to toys that were “not designed to be operated” on public roads.
Backing Abby’s Law is State Sen. Tim Kearney (D., Delaware), who sees electric scooters growing in popularity across the state among both children and adults.
Kearney’s legislation would define electric scooters within Pennsylvania’s motor vehicle code, according to Kearney, making it easier for municipalities to enact their own restrictions. The move would liken e-scooters to something similar to an e-bike or moped, according to Kearney, with mandated age and speed requirements.
The bill would also put in place “common sense” safety measures for young riders, Kearney said, banning use for those under 16 years of age and requiring minors to wear helmets. Abby’s Law includes a consumer-awareness campaign explaining the new rules and reminding drivers to be observant of e-scooters.
Kearney expects some pushback to the bill from adult commuters who use e-scooters to get to work — a recent e-scooter pilot program in Pittsburgh resulted in nearly a million rides — as well as parents who have already shelled out for their children’s pricey scooters; some e-scooters run for $400 or more in stores.
Kralle, Gillon’s uncle, has seen some criticisms of Abby’s Law arise on Facebook, though for the most part people have been supportive, he said.
“To all the people that are resistant, unless you’ve been in a situation where you’ve held a lifeless child’s hand in your own, you can’t speak on her behalf,” he said.