Seven-year-old Kate Heffernan was strolling around Dublin’s Grand Canal with her grandmother last week. Kate’s mother Anne Marie told RTÉ’s Prime Time that her daughter was struck by an e-scooter that was approaching from behind and travelling quickly, reports RTE.
“She was like a rag doll thrown up into the air,” she stated. Kate ended up with several injuries all over her body, including a gash on her head, and she was brought to the hospital. “The priority was stopping her bleeding, getting stitches on her forehead,” stated her mother.
According to Little Kate, the accident was the scariest thing that had ever happened to her.
“I went down my head,” she said, “there was a lot of blood from my knee and my head and my nose.”
The driver of the e-scooter came to a brief stop. Anne Marie recalled, “He did say, ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry,’ and a second later, he was gone,” reports RTE.
It seemed like a hit-and-run when he abruptly vanished. I’m not sure if he was scared or what.”
According to Anne Marie, she is “just thankful” that her only child’s injuries wasn’t more serious. “At just seven years old, she is really little. She may not have suffered as much damage to her skull, but she will always have a scar,” reports RTE.
Kate expressed her desire for the man who struck her to slow down “so he can’t run more people down.”
Her mother fears it may cause her to lose confidence. “She has expressed her desire to never again stroll by the canal. “She’s looking around and is a bit anxious that there might be a scooter coming behind,” she continued.
Both pedestrians and drivers may be at risk.
“An e-scooter is probably inherently not a very safe vehicle,” said Dr John Legge, a consultant in emergency medicine at St Vincent’s University Hospital in Dublin. “It’s got very small wheels” so it is prone to slippage on an uneven surface,” he said, adding that the drivers’ centre of gravity is high because they are standing, reports RTE.
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