Perth dad calls for tougher e-scooter laws after daughter hit in crash
A Perth father has sounded the alarm about e-scooters and is pushing for tougher laws after his daughter was knocked to the ground by a rider.
Volker Ritzka said his eight-year-old daughter Lilli was hit by an e-scooter rider travelling at more than 40km/h on Sunday.
Little Lilli spent the night in hospital after being sent flying 10 metres across a footpath, and Volker said it could have been even worse.
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Lilli Ritzka was hospitalised following the e-scooter crash. Nine
"It was a strong impact, a big, big scooter, a really heavy vehicle," he said.
The father later went on to say he hopes e-scooters will soon "be a thing of the past".
Lilli is set for a second night in hospital to undergo specialist treatment to reduce the risk of permanent scarring.
"The e-scooter was riding in the middle so he just crashed into me," she said.
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Paramedics treat Lilli following the crash. Nine
Her dad said the rider initially stopped to apologise before leaving the scene.
Police later arrested a man in his 20s, but he was released without charge.
On average, paramedics at St John's Ambulance respond to 15 e-scooter crashes every month. Most of them are classed as priority one, meaning the injuries are life-threatening.
This year, both 13-year-old Calym Gilbert and father-of-three Kim Rowe were killed in separate e-scooter crashes.
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