Waterford woman struck down by e-scooter
The collision occurred on Wednesday, May 21.
A local woman suffered horrible injuries after being struck by an e-scooter in Waterford City.
On Wednesday afternoon, May 21, Shelly Phelan was cycling to work on a path in the Poleberry area. She was on her way to her job as a porter at the South Eastern Technological University (SETU) campus on the Cork Road.
She described how, without a warning, a 'young chap' on an e-scooter collided with her, knocking her off her bike and causing her to fall to the ground.
The collision left her with a broken nose, a torn lip and bruising all over her face and body. The young man did stop to see if she was okay and an ambulance was called.
Two paramedics attended to the scene and brought Shelly to University Hospital Waterford (UHW). She had to receive multiple stitches to her lip.
While Shelly appreciates the young driver of the e-scooter helping her, she was shocked to discover that there are no legal impediments for accidents involving e-scooters.
After the accident, she spoke to a Garda officer who informed here that there was nothing the law could do for her. She was told that the CCTV in the area was not operational at the time of the accident.
E-scooters have exploded in popularity over the past several years. E-scooter users do not need to have a license to drive.
While Shelly is recovering from the traumatic event, she wants to raise awareness over the legal no-man's land that she finds herself in.
Shelly told Waterford News and Star: "I want to highlight it, there has to be a change in legislation."
According to the Road Safety Authority (RSA): "E-scooters must not be used on footpaths, nor in pedestrian areas unless there is a cycle lane."
While there are a number of cycle lanes in the city, e-scooters are still a common sight on footpaths. Legally, e-scooters cannot travel over 20km/h however Shelly believes that the e-scooter was travelling over the limit.
Despite her ordeal, Shelly is thankful for the help of passer-bys and the paramedics.
