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The Canberra Times
The Canberra Times
National
Soofia Tariq

'Tragic and preventable': First ever ACT scooter rider death after 19-year-old hit by car

Police attend the scene of an accident involving a motor vehicle and an electric scooter in Kambah on Sunday afternoon. Picture by Sitthixay Ditthavong

A 19-year-old woman has died after being hit by a car while riding an electric scooter outside the Namadgi School in Kambah, in what is the ACT's first ever recorded e-scooter death.

At about 3.10pm on Sunday, police and emergency services were called to the corner of Drakeford Drive and O'Halloran Circuit in Kambah.

ACT Policing said evidence from the scene suggested a Ford Falcon and an electric scooter had collided at the pedestrian crossing on the 80km/h road.

The rider of the scooter had been "thrown a substantial distance across the intersection" and she was not wearing a helmet.

The driver of the car and several other witnesses stopped to help the teenager.

The woman was rushed to Canberra Hospital with serious head and leg injuries.

Police announced on Monday morning the woman had since died.

Police at the scene were trying to ascertain whether the car or the electric scooter had right of way at the crossing, and closed Drakeford Drive towards Woden for up to four hours as they investigated.

ACT Policing's major collision team is conducting an investigation into the crash and a report will be prepared for the Coroner.

This is the 12th recorded fatality on Canberra roads this year, but the first involving an electric scooter.

The fatality also makes this year's road toll the worst on Canberra roads since 2015.

Detective Acting Inspector Paul Hutcheson, officer in charge of road policing confirmed, on Monday afternoon, the woman was riding a personal e-scooter without a helmet and was returning from the shops.

The Canberra local's family and friends were notified soon after the accident occurred and attended the hospital yesterday afternoon.

Detective Hutcheson urged "any of our vulnerable road users who are using scooters, e-scooters, bicycles, or skateboards on and around our roadways to slow down, check the road before you enter or cross and please wear your helmet."

"This is another tragic and preventable death of a young Canberran on ACT roads," he said.

He added most e-scooter accidents are "avoidable" if "everybody takes some personal accountability for how they use the ACT roads".

Detective acting inspector Paul Hutcheson spakas about the first recoreded e-scooter death on ACT roads. Picture by Karleen Minney.

E-scooter users must wear a helmet and abide by a speed limit of 25km/h on a shared foot or cycle path, 15km/h for footpaths and 10km/h while crossing, and fines apply if riders do not comply.

"We're always enforcing a wide range of road safety and road offences. We can go out and enforce and enforce and enforce, but each individual person who uses our roads has a responsibility to obey those rules," Detective Hutcheson said.

"We've come out of two years of very quiet roads due to COVID, so road usage is getting back to normal and unfortunately our fatalities are getting back to normal."

ACT police are asking anyone else who witnessed the collision or captured dash-cam footage of the incident (who has not already spoken to police) to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or via the Crime Stoppers ACT website. Quote reference number 7226217.

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