A woman was transported to the hospital with moderate head trauma on Tuesday after she rode a motorized scooter into a vehicle.
Police officers and firefighters were called to the intersection of 6th and Idaho at about 2:20 p.m. on Jan. 9 for report of a pedestrian vs. car accident and upon arrival, determined a women in her 20’s had been riding a Bird brand motorized scooter when she collided with a moving car in the intersection.
The women was treated at the scene and then transported to the hospital with a moderate head wound. While the wound required treatment, she was expected to survive.
According to the Santa Monica Police Department the vehicle was traveling northbound on 6th Street toward Idaho and did not have a stop sign at the intersection. Many of the intersections in the neighborhood have stop signs in either the east/west or north/south direction but not both. The scooter did have a stop sign but Lt. Saul Rodriguez said it appears the scooter did not stop, entered the intersection and struck the car.
According to Rodriguez, the driver was full cooperative and there’s no sign of impairment or excessive speed.
The Bird scooters are available to rent on a per minute basis. The electric vehicles can travel at up to 15 mph and are rented through a smartphone app. The City of Santa Monica has filed a complaint against the company citing a lack of proper permits but the company maintains it has the required paperwork to operate.
Rodriguez said the Tuesday crash was the first reported incident involving one of the company’s scooters and a vehicle.
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