A serious electric scooter accident in Germany has left a 14 year old boy fighting for his life.
The crash happened in Rohrbach, in the Bavarian district of Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm. According to German media citing police, the teenager was riding downhill in darkness when his electric scooter collided head on with an approaching car.
The boy suffered life threatening injuries and was transported to hospital by rescue helicopter.
Investigators said initial findings indicated that the teenager was wearing dark clothing and a ski mask and was riding without lights. He was also reportedly travelling on the wrong side of the road before the collision.
One detail discovered during the investigation has attracted particular attention.
Police said the modified electric scooter was capable of reaching speeds of up to 80 km/h. That is four times Germany's standard 20 km/h maximum speed for road legal electric scooters.
Authorities also said the scooter was neither registered nor insured. The teenager reportedly did not have the required driving licence for a vehicle with those characteristics.
The exact speed at which the teenager was travelling at the moment of impact has not been established.
Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash.
The incident has attracted significant attention in Germany, with searches related to “Unfall,” the German word for accident, surging on Google Trends as reports of the crash spread.
The case also highlights the dangers associated with modifying electric scooters to travel far beyond their permitted speeds, particularly when they are used at night without adequate visibility equipment.
