With the increasing presence of e-scooters in Canada, medical professionals are cautioning about a surge in injuries, particularly among younger individuals, as regulations struggle to keep pace.
Dr. Daniel Rosenfield, a pediatric emergency physician at SickKids hospital in Toronto and chair of the injury prevention committee for the Canadian Pediatric Society (CPS), has witnessed a significant uptick in various types of injuries resulting from e-scooter accidents, ranging from minor cuts to severe brain trauma and fatalities.
Rosenfield noted that while severe injuries were rare in the past, they have become more frequent. Now, whenever they receive a notification of an “E-scooter trauma inbound” from EMS, they are prepared for severe cases.
At SickKids, e-scooter injury cases escalated from 26 in 2023 to 46 in 2024 and 107 in 2025, with projections indicating even higher numbers for the current year.
A survey of Canadian doctors suggests severe injuries and deaths are rising among kids and teens who ride e-scooters. Doctors warn that e-scooters are ‘anything but toys,’ and that too many young people are riding at high speeds without helmets.
Dr. Laurie Plotnick, leading the emergency trauma team at the Montreal Children’s Hospital, reported a tenfold increase in e-scooter injuries since 2023, with children sustaining severe facial injuries, broken jaws, and other serious wounds, often without involving other motor vehicles.
A survey conducted by the CPS revealed alarming statistics, including 10 fatalities, 12 ICU admissions, and 26 hospitalizations lasting over two days due to e-scooter accidents in the past year, with head injuries present in about half of the cases, mostly involving individuals without helmets.
Most severe injuries typically affected boys aged between 10 and 15 years old, according to Rosenfield.
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E-scooter rider taken to out-of-region hospital after being hit by an SUV in Waterloo
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