SALT LAKE CITY — Emergency room visits are up in Utah as more e-scooters hit the streets of the state’s capital city.
The Washington Post asked the University of Utah Hospital for numbers from its emergency department related to electronic-powered scooters. Last summer, the U.’s emergency department treated just eight patients for e-scooter-related injuries. This summer, it was 21. But the report suggests the real number may be higher, because there are other hospitals close to downtown where people injured riding a scooter may seek treatment, or they may choose to visit an urgent care clinic instead of an emergency room.
The most typical injuries included head trauma, lacerations, and fractures of wrists, shoulders and arms, as people try to catch themselves during a fall.
One ER doctor at the U. says a fair number of e-scooter patients said they were intoxicated at the time of their injury, or they were not wearing a helmet.