These are very, very sick kids arriving in our trauma bays
Across Canada this summer, pediatric emergency rooms are receiving a quiet but urgent message: the e-scooter, embraced as a symbol of youthful freedom and urban mobility, is arriving in trauma bays with consequences far graver than most families anticipate. From Toronto to Halifax, doctors are watching injury counts climb steeply among children well below legal riding age, most of them helmetless, many of them seriously hurt — a collision between the pace of technology's adoption and the slower rhythms of enforcement, awareness, and parental understanding. The crisis is not inevitable, physicians say, but preventing it will require something harder than new rules: it will require people to follow the ones already written.
- Montreal Children's Hospital has already surpassed last year's full annual e-scooter injury count by April, with over half of those patients too young to legally ride.
- Toronto's SickKids went from a single e-scooter injury in 2020 to 46 in 2024, and May of this year alone brought 16 cases — children arriving not with scrapes but with brain injuries, internal bleeding, and ICU admissions.
- Laws exist in every province setting minimum ages and mandating helmets, yet the average injured child is 11 or 12 years old and most are not wearing any head protection.
- A distinct and troubling subset involves children as young as 3 riding as passengers with adults — a practice doctors warn carries serious risk that families appear not to recognize.
- Physicians from Halifax to British Columbia are calling for coordinated action from parents, schools, and municipalities before the peak of summer deepens an already alarming trend.
The emergency department at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children has become an unlikely mirror of a national summer crisis. The children arriving after e-scooter accidents are not coming in with minor scrapes — pediatric emergency physician Daniel Rosenfield describes severe head injuries, internal bleeding requiring surgery, and intensive care admissions. "These are very, very sick kids," he said. The numbers reflect rapid escalation: one case in 2020, forty-six in 2024, and sixteen in May of this year alone — more than triple the total of all previous Mays combined.
The pattern holds across the country. Montreal Children's Hospital trauma director Debbie Friedman reported thirty e-scooter injury cases since April, already surpassing last year's full-year total of thirty-four. More troubling: fifty-two percent of those patients were legally too young to ride. In Toronto, the average injured child is between eleven and twelve years old, ninety percent are boys, and most are not wearing helmets. A smaller but distinct group — children aged three to seven — arrive as passengers with parents, a practice doctors strongly advise against.
Every province has age restrictions and helmet requirements. Ontario sets the minimum riding age at sixteen; Quebec at fourteen. Yet these rules are routinely ignored, and enforcement remains inconsistent. Physician Suzanne Beno notes that even without a vehicle collision, losing control at speed on an e-scooter can cause serious harm. The devices move fast and offer almost no protection in a crash.
The trend is national. Emergency physicians in Halifax, Ottawa, and British Columbia all confirm rising injury counts concentrated in the head, arms, and legs. Ottawa extended its e-scooter pilot program through 2029, and physician Melanie Bechard notes that summer reliably brings a spike in related injuries. Paramedic Brian Twaites in B.C. emphasized that responsibility extends to all road users — motorists and cyclists must also stay alert to e-scooters moving through shared spaces.
Doctors are calling for a coordinated response from parents, schools, and municipalities. Friedman acknowledged that e-scooters can offer genuine benefits for children in appropriate settings, but stressed that the right age, the right roads, and sound judgment all matter. As summer continues, hospitals are bracing for more cases — and physicians are asking whether public awareness and enforcement can catch up to the devices' popularity before more children end up in trauma bays.
The emergency department at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children has become a window into a summer crisis that doctors across Canada are watching with alarm. When children arrive on stretchers after e-scooter accidents, they are not coming in with scraped knees. Daniel Rosenfield, a pediatric emergency physician there, describes the cases matter-of-factly: severe head injuries, internal bleeding that demands surgery, stays in intensive care. "These are very, very sick kids," he said. And they keep coming.
The numbers tell a story of rapid escalation. In 2020, Rosenfield's hospital treated one e-scooter injury. By 2024, that figure had climbed to 46. In May alone this year, the hospital saw 16 cases—more than triple the total for all previous Mays combined over the past four years. The pattern is consistent across the country. At Montreal Children's Hospital, trauma director Debbie Friedman reported 30 e-scooter injury cases since April alone. Last year, the entire hospital saw 34 cases. More troubling still: 52 percent of the injuries Friedman's team treats involve children who are legally too young to ride. The injuries themselves are severe—traumatic brain injuries, facial and dental trauma, fractures, lacerations. Some are life-threatening.
What makes this crisis particularly frustrating to doctors is that much of it appears preventable. Age restrictions exist in every province. Ontario requires riders to be at least 16 and mandates helmets for anyone under 18. Quebec sets the minimum at 14 and requires helmets for all riders. Yet these rules are routinely ignored. At Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children, the average age of injured children is between 11 and 12 years old. Ninety percent are boys. Most are not wearing helmets. There is also a smaller but distinct group of very young children—ages 3 to 7—who arrive as passengers riding with parents, a practice doctors strongly advise against.
The severity of injuries suggests that e-scooters present hazards that many families underestimate. Suzanne Beno, another pediatric emergency physician in Toronto, notes that while collisions with motor vehicles are the most dangerous scenario, simply losing control at speed can cause significant harm. The devices move fast and offer almost no protection in a crash. Wrist guards and helmets can make a difference, but enforcement of existing safety rules remains inconsistent. Friedman emphasized the gap between regulation and reality: "We're seeing children at risk because rules are not being followed."
The problem extends beyond Toronto and Montreal. At the IWK Health Centre in Halifax, emergency physician Jason Emsley confirmed the trend appears national, affecting younger teenagers, adolescents, and young adults. In Ottawa, where the city extended its e-scooter pilot program through 2029, pediatric emergency physician Melanie Bechard noted that summer consistently brings a spike in injuries from e-scooters, bicycles, and ATVs. In British Columbia, paramedic Brian Twaites reported rising incidents, with injuries concentrated in the head, arms, and legs. He emphasized that responsibility extends beyond riders: motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians all share the road and must remain aware of e-scooters moving through traffic.
Doctors are calling for a coordinated response. Friedman stressed that parents need greater supervision, municipalities need stronger enforcement, and the public needs better awareness of the actual risks. She acknowledged that e-scooters can support physical, social, and psychological well-being for some children in appropriate settings. But the right age, the right roads, and good judgment all matter. As summer continues and the weather remains warm, hospitals are bracing for more cases. The question now is whether enforcement and public awareness will catch up to the devices' popularity before more children arrive in trauma bays.
Citas Notables
We're seeing children at risk because rules are not being followed. There's a need for greater supervision by parents, stronger enforcement and public awareness.— Dr. Debbie Friedman, trauma director at Montreal Children's Hospital
Just losing control at speed can lead to significant injury, even without a collision with a motor vehicle.— Dr. Suzanne Beno, pediatric emergency physician at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why are so many underage kids riding these scooters when the age restrictions are clearly posted?
Because the rules exist on paper but not on the street. A parent might not enforce it, or a child might borrow a friend's scooter, or they might simply not know the law. There's no real barrier to a 10-year-old picking one up.
But the injuries are severe—brain trauma, surgery. Doesn't that scare families away?
It should, but the risk feels abstract until it happens to your child. The scooters are everywhere, they're fun, they're fast. Parents see other kids riding them. The danger doesn't feel real until you're in an emergency room.
The doctors mention that 90 percent of injured riders are boys. What's that about?
Boys that age tend to take more risks—they ride faster, they're less likely to wear protective gear, they're more likely to attempt tricks or ride in traffic. It's a combination of developmental stage and behavior.
Is the problem the scooters themselves, or how people use them?
Both. The scooters are genuinely fast and unstable—you have very little protection if you fall. But they're also being used by children who lack the judgment and physical development to handle them safely. A 12-year-old's balance and reaction time are not the same as a 16-year-old's.
What would actually stop this?
Enforcement, mostly. If cities actually checked ages and fined parents who let underage kids ride, behavior would change. But that requires resources and political will. Right now, the rules exist but nobody's really watching.