Man Critical After 1st E-Scooter Accident In Tampa

TAMPA, FL -- Just weeks after the City of Tampa launched a pilot program allowing the rental of e-scooters in downtown Tampa, an accident has left an electric scooter rider in critical condition.

At 4:45 p.m. Thursday, John Edgerton, 33, was riding an e-scooter rented from Lime e-scooters north on South 20th Street near Stuart Street when he veered into the path of a northbound tanker truck.

The truck driver, John Horvath, 67, remained at the scene and cooperated with police.

Edgerton was not wearing a helmet. He was transported to Tampa General Hospital where he remains in critical condition.

Lime e-scooters released the following statement:

“Our thoughts are with the rider involved in this tragic incident in Tampa and we’re praying for a full recovery. We have reached out to local authorities and stand ready to assist however possible.”

The accident comes two days after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law lifting a restriction that limited the use of e-scooters to sidewalks. The bill allows the use of the scooter on streets and in bike lanes.

Tampa launched its pilot e-scooter program on May 24 with four scooter companies offering about 900 e-scooters for rent to help tourists zip to various venues around downtown.

The program has been rolled out in dozens of metropolitan areas across the country as an alternative to using cars to travel to destinations that are less than a mile away.

Critics, however, had safety concerns, especially since most users are unfamiliar with operating a scooter and helmets are recommended but not mandatory.

California, one of the first places in the nation to allow e-scooter rentals, has seen numerous accidents involving the small two-wheeled vehicles including six accidents caused brake failure.

The first fatality involving an e-scooter occurred June 11 in Paris when a 25-year-old man was struck by a van.

Concerns about safety prompted the City of Clearwater to ban e-scooters for six months so city leaders can observe Tampa's pilot program.

While the e-scooter companies hail the program as an environmentally friendly and low-cost way to get around in downtown areas, critics say allowing inexperienced riders to zip through congested downtown areas at 15 mph is a recipe for disaster.

On June 8, resident Jen Castrogiovanni posted a video on Twitter showing a brawl between a group of e-scooter riders and a bicyclist at the intersection of Willow Avenue and Platt Street.

These scooters are causing a ruckus in Tampa pic.twitter.com/y35f3WIJFG
— Jen Castrogiovanni (@JenCastrogio) June" class="redactor-linkify-object">https://twitter.com/JenCastrog... 8, 2019

Some cycling enthusiasts predict more confrontations now that e-scooters are allowed to use bike lanes.

The League of American Bicyclists, however, said the jury's still out on the impact of e-scooters.

On the one hand, e-scooters companies will likely join cycling associations in advocating for more bike lanes and bike-friendly roads.

On the other hand, it could present problems if e-scooter riders aren't required to adhere to the same rules of the road as bicyclists.

"Scooter regulation appears to be localized and non-uniform," noted the league.