E-bike and e-scooter injuries keep climbing, Harborview says
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Injuries involving e-scooters and e-bikes have spiked locally in recent years, according to data from Harborview Medical Center.
The big picture: As the vehicles become more popular, they're contributing to a rising number of serious injuries — and, in some cases, deaths.
By the numbers: The number of people treated at Harborview for injuries involving e-bikes or e-scooters rose from 77 in 2021 to 252 last year, according to data the hospital shared with Axios.
- Deaths involving e-scooters and e-bikes are also up, with six Harborview patients dying from their injuries last year, compared with two in 2024.
Harborview is the region's only Level 1 pediatric and adult trauma center, treating patients from Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho.
The latest: A 14-year-old boy died while riding an electric-powered bike down a staircase at Seattle's Colonnade Park last month.
What they're saying: Speed is a major factor in the rise in injury-causing crashes, Beth Ebel, a doctor who focuses on transportation safety at the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center, told Axios.
- Lime, which provides e-bikes and scooter rentals in Seattle, told Axios the throttle on its vehicles cuts out at 15mph.
- But riders can exceed that on Seattle's steep hills, Ebel said.
- She said privately owned e-bikes and scooters also pose an issue, with many of the vehicles now reaching 28-35mph. That not only creates much greater force on impact but "doesn't give the driver time to react," she said.
The other side: Harborview's data doesn't specify whether injuries occurred on a rental or on privately owned e-bikes and e-scooters.
- That means the hospital's numbers don't reflect on the safety of Lime's fleet — especially given rising ridership, Lime's Parker Dawson said in an emailed statement to Axios.
- Dawson said riders took more than 10.5 million trips on Lime vehicles in Seattle in 2025, up 67% from 2024, while Harborview reported a 47% rise in injuries over the same period.
- "Lime ridership is increasing faster than Harborview's reported injuries," Dawson said.
Over 99.99% of Lime trips globally ended without a reported incident in 2025, Dawson added.
State of play: Washington law already restricts teens under 16 from using e-scooters and some of the faster e-bikes. But a new state work group is considering more regulations.
- Lime bans riders under 18, but Ebel, who treats children at Harborview, said kids find ways around the age restriction — sometimes using a parent's account or credit card.
- Many kids using e-scooters and e-bikes haven't learned to drive and don't understand traffic rules, making them more likely to crash, she said.
- About 41% of all ER visits for e-bike injuries nationwide in 2024 and 2025 involved patients ages 10 to 19, according to National Electronic Injury Surveillance System estimates.
The bottom line: Ebel said some of the best steps riders can take are packing a helmet, wearing reflective clothing and planning routes where they can stay separated from traffic.