A grandmother of six has told how she was left ‘bruised and battered’ after she says she was knocked over by a schoolboy on an e-scooter. Christine Ranger was walking her dog along a cyclepath when she says a boy in school uniform collided with her on an e-scooter.
The 74-year-old fell to the ground while the young boy rode off. Christine says she has no recollection of how she safely reached her home in Pill. Daughter Karen told SomersetLive that Christine was walking her dog Milo on Wednesday, March 22, when a boy, who was wearing a St Katherine’s School uniform, collided with her.
“Mum was out walking the dog at around 3.15pm and was by the basketball court when she was hit by the boy on the e-scooter. He knocked her over and she face planted the floor. The boy just left her on the floor and carried on and did not stop to help her. Mum doesn’t remember how she managed to get up and get home.”
Karen learnt about the accident the following day when she met her mum in the village. “She is bruised and battered from her nose upwards,” said Karen. "She is shaken up by it all and says she still feels dizzy. She also suffered bruising to her hand.
"Mum is a very understanding person and accidents do happen. But this boy did not even stop to see if she was ok. It’s disgusting that he left her on the floor in that state.”
E-scooters are classed as ‘personal light electric motor vehicles’ and are covered by the same laws and regulations that apply to all motor vehicles. They shouldn’t be ridden on the pavement or by children and riding them while under the influence of drink or drugs is an offence.
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Rental scooters can be hired by riders with a driving licence. Riders must still comply with traffic legislation or face fines and points on their licence. The government website Gov.uk says it’s unlikely that privately-owned e-scooter riders will be able to comply with all the requirements for them to be used lawfully on the roads and other public places. The current guidance is that personal e-scooters can only be used legally on private land, with the permission of the landowner.
Karen, from Nailsea, is now planning to contact the school to raise the issue. “This child should not have been riding an e scooter in this area. It needs to be stopped as this could very easily happen to someone else who could come off even worse.
“I will be contacting the school to see if they are aware of children travelling to school in this way. I would also like to see more regular patrols of the path by the police.”
A spokesman for St Katherine's School said: "The school was informed about this alleged incident via the press contact on 24 March but it had not previously been reported to the school. As a result no investigation has taken place.
"We would ask any members of the public who have any concerns to contact the school directly so that the school can support and investigate thoroughly."
