The Rising Wave of Metro Detroit E-Bike and E-Scooter Injuries
“These are a recipe for kids and other people getting extremely injured or killed. Period.” That stark assessment from Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard captures the growing alarm shared by doctors and law enforcement officers across Metro Detroit as severe e-bike, e-scooter, and e-moto crashes surge.
Emergency rooms and first responders are increasingly treating multi-fracture trauma and traumatic brain injuries among young riders, prompting hospitals, sheriff’s offices, and local municipal leaders to push for immediate local ordinances and broader statewide regulations.
Detroit Medical Data Shows Rising E-Bike Injuries
The Detroit East Medical Control Authority tracked 21 serious e-bike injuries requiring ambulance transport in 2025, a figure that climbed to 33 by July of this year. Incidents involving electric scooters proved even higher, with 123 cases recorded in 2025 and 79 logged by July, according to clickondetroit.com. Medical professionals point out that these crashes rarely result in isolated injuries. Dr. Kelly Levasseur, medical director of pediatric emergency medicine at Children’s Hospital of Michigan, noted that patients frequently arrive with skull fractures, jaw fractures, and broken arms.
These are a recipe for kids and other people getting extremely injured or killed. Period. — Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard
First responders gathered to sound the alarm following a summer marked by heightened emergency calls and citizen complaints regarding reckless riding. Alongside Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard, Wayne County Sheriff Raphael Washington, and Macomb County Sheriff’s Office Captain Jeffery McPherson, local police departments reported handling a heavy volume of incidents. WXYZ reported that the Bloomfield Township Police Department alone responded to more than 100 e-bike complaints over the past year, frequently involving juveniles operating the vehicles recklessly on sidewalks and near pedestrians.
Bloomfield Township Restricts Young Riders Without Safety Training
The urgency behind these enforcement efforts intensified last month in Bloomfield Township, where two teenage boys sustained critical injuries after a pickup truck struck them while they rode e-bikes near Telegraph and Hickory Grove roads. In response, the Bloomfield Township Board of Trustees enacted a six-month moratorium on September 14, prohibiting riders under the age of 16 from operating e-bikes or scooters on township-owned property, sidewalks, and public rights-of-way.
To bypass the riding restriction, young operators must complete a four-hour safety course launching next month. Bloomfield Township Community Relations Officer Sean Manor explained that the curriculum covers the legalities of e-bikes, safe road sharing, pedestrian passing, and turn signaling. Upon completion, participants receive a certificate and registration sticker.
Other municipalities are moving quickly to establish their own frameworks. Sterling Heights is actively drafting an ordinance to define e-bikes and e-scooters and set penalties, though Sterling Heights Police Lt. Lamar Kashat emphasized that the primary objective remains education rather than simply issuing tickets. Meanwhile, law enforcement officials like Sheriff Bouchard are pressing state lawmakers in Lansing to consider stricter requirements, such as mandatory rider licensing and buyer disclosures.
Helmets Prevent Severe Head Trauma During Scooter Crashes
Families across the region are also confronting the reality of these high-speed devices. Thirteen-year-old Kasen Kalef broke his wrist and suffered road rash after crashing his electric scooter in Rochester Hills this past July. His mother, Jessica Kalef, noted that while broken bones and skin abrasions heal over time, head trauma presents irreversible risks. She credited her son’s helmet with preventing far more severe complications, recalling that medical staff in the emergency room immediately asked about helmet use.
As state-level rules remain under discussion, local police urge parents to actively research motor sizes, top speeds, and current Michigan statutes before purchasing electric vehicles for minors.
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