Student has shared the story of her horror-struck emoped collision in Italy. In an effort to alert others, she almost lost her right leg.
Eleanor Young (21), from Nettleham near Lincoln broke her right leg twice and cut an artery after her electric scooter collided with a Smart Car.
Miss Young, who was in Rome on vacation when the accident occurred in August 2020, was taken to hospital and spent five days in intensive medical care.
Newcastle University’s modern languages student, who suffered from dental injuries, was later transferred to an Orthopaedic Ward.
Eleanor Young (pictured), 21, from Nettleham near Lincoln, fractured her right leg and cut an artery after her electric-moped collided with a Smart Car in Rome.
Miss Young said: ‘Thankfully I can’t remember too much of the accident but I remember a few minutes later being on the ground and trying to get up. I was told not to by a passerby and knew immediately that something was wrong with my leg.
“I was so shocked that I didn’t feel any pain. I can recall going to hospital for an MRI scan. The next thing that I remembered was waking up at hospital with rods in the legs. It was then they almost decided to amputate my leg.
“Partially of the bone in my left leg was broken. My right leg was broken by an open compound fracture. I also had my right tibia cut. My leg was saved and I needed rods put in to repair the broken bone.
Miss Young had five additional operations after returning to the UK.
Operations included the removal and replacement of metal rods and fixing a metal frame on them. The bone was also repositioned to ensure it would fuse correctly.
Miss Young had eight operations (pictured), including the removal and replacement of metal rods and fixing a metal frame on it. She also had to reposition her bone in order for it to fuse correctly.
Miss Young said: ‘Following the incident I’ve had to have a number of surgeries to fix my leg as it was deformed and I had non-union of the bone. This will not be the last.
“My life changed from being an average one for someone my own age to one where there seemed to be more medical appointments and additional operations.”
Because of the injuries sustained, she was forced to leave university after a year to move back home to care for her family.
He said that the collision “has had a profound impact on my life in many different ways.”
“I couldn’t get out of my home for many months, and felt so alone.
“Since August 2020 I have had eight procedures on my legs and one in my mouth because of severe tooth damage.
“E-scooters/e-mopeds seem to be a lot of fun, especially for younger people,” says he.
“However, they are just like other vehicles and can cause serious injury.
Her legal team Irwin Mitchell and the 21-year old are warning people about escooters/e-mopeds. Stock image
Italy experienced an increase in scooter and ebike users in 2020 at the time Miss Young crashed. This was because people were looking for alternatives to cramped public transport, due to the coronavirus.
Many injuries and accidents related to the use of e-scooters and emopeds were unfortunately reported in the United States. One example was the death of a thirteen-year-old boy from Sesto San Giovanni (North Italy).
To prevent more accidents, injuries, and deaths, the Italian Highway Code was revised on November 10.
The maximum speed for e-scooters is 20km/h on the roads. Users under 14 must use a helmet. Passenger carriers will face a fine of 50 Euros.
It is still a popular mode of transportation in Italy with 7.4 Million rentals in Italy in the last year.
After the coronavirus, people began to look for alternative transport options to public transportation in Rome. In Rome there was a marked increase in escooter use and emoped usage in 2020.
Miss Young and Irwin Mitchell from her legal team are also reminding everyone to use caution with escooters/e-mopeds.
Jayne Murphy (Irwin Mitchell specialist in serious injuries) said that Eleanor is represented by Jayne Murphy.
Eleanor sustained very serious injuries during the accident and was lucky to not have lost her right leg. It has been extremely difficult for her to make sense of the injuries she sustained over the past 18 months.
Eleanor is making progress, but still has many obstacles to overcome.
“We are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding Eleanor’s accident, and we will support her in her recovery.”
An electric scooter is used by people near Rome Colosseum on September 18, 2020.
This is Miss Young’s tale amid an influx of ambulance calls to escooter incidents across the UK, a jump of 54% in only two years.
According to Freedom of Information Request data, incidents rose from 75 to 480 between 2019 and 2021.
Some of the most common causes of crashes include drunken riders, pedestrians being run over and cars colliding with them.
The popularity of escooters/e-mopeds has led to an increase in callouts.
They can’t be driven on roads that are not in use by the public, however.
There are approved cars for rent in these areas of the country, which have been approved by government trials.
The UK has seen a rise in popularity of e-mopeds and escooters (stock photo)
Private land is the only place that e-scooters can be used.
In the UK, there have been 131 injuries from e-scooters in the past year.
A 13-year-old boy was riding his e-scooter in Gillingham in Kent when he pulled up to a learner driver.
Martin Philbrick, the driving instructor, warned parents that e-scooters can cause serious injury to their children.
Gillingham, Kent – A 13-year old boy riding an electric scooter pulled alongside a learner driver.
According to the Association of British Insurers, there were 484 deaths involving e–scooters in 2020. This is more than one per day.
Although e-scooters cannot be used in public places unless they have been part of government trials data shows that 83% of those who saw them on pavements are aware of the rules.
Irwin Mitchell’s Miss Young lawyers have given advice to ensure that e-scooter and emoped riders are safe.