HERMISTON, Ore.- A Hermiston teenager was injured in a crash involving an electric scooter and a car on the afternoon of October 7 in Hermiston.
Police and paramedics responded to the scene of the crash at the intersection of S. 1st Street and W. Orchard Avenue around 3:45 p.m.
According to the Hermiston Police Department, statements from witnesses at the scene reported that a 15-year-old female on an electric scooter heading north failed to stop at the intersection and continued into the crosswalk, where she was hit by a Dodge Journey, driven by a 44-year-old Hermiston man.
The teenager was transported to the hospital after the crash and later cited for operation of a motorized scooter in a crosswalk and failure to wear protective headgear.
“Citations are no fun, and I get it,” said Hermiston PD Chief Jason Edmiston, of the case that is getting much discussion on social media. “I have been on the receiving end of a traffic citation. Our job is to investigate and take action. In this case, the first harmful event is what we try to identify. “
Chief Edmiston also noted the Hermiston City Council has recently discussed the topic of electric scooters and bikes on the road, and that some cities in the state have gone so far as to enact bans.
“We rely on the rules of the road established through the legislature and this past summer we posted on our social media account about this very topic,” Edmiston said, in regard to electric bikes, scooters, and other forms of micromobility. “Inasmuch as the youth need to know the law, so do the parent(s) of our youth.”
Micromobility regulations concerning e-bikes, e-scooters, and other small personal mobility devices, such as mopeds, mini motorcycles and more are available online through the Oregon Department of Transportation.
