The parents of a teenager who was killed in a mishap while riding an electric bicycle have asked riders to use helmets to “prevent families going through this same tragic hell.”
Owen David Jones, 17, from Crawshawbooth, Lancashire, sped down Goodshaw Fold Road in Loveclough, Rossendale, at speeds of up to 30 miles per hour on a modified Sur-Ron E-Bike obtained from his buddy Marley on May 11 of this year.
Marley, who was also with another friend Jack, warned Owen ‘not to use sport mode’ but after he didn’t return for 10 minutes, the two became concerned.
Owen was unconscious and bleeding when Marley and Jack reached the bottom of the slope. His head was resting on the curb and he was laying with his back against the curb.
Owen was not wearing a helmet.
The 17-year-old was taken to the Royal Preston Hospital in Lancashire, where doctors determined he had suffered a severe head damage with several fractures and bleeding.
Owen, an apprentice joiner and carpenter, passed away the next day after suffering “unsurvivable injuries” in the accident.
Yesterday during an inquest conducted at the Preston Coroner’s Court, it was revealed that the pressure within Owen’s skull was four times the usual.
Lisa and Richard, the parents of Owen, asked for more regulations on electric bikes and scooters after the autopsy.
Owen’s Sur-Ron bicycle, which he was riding at the time of the accident, was not road legal and had been modified to enable quicker riding.
The inquest heard that since Owen’s motorcycle was not road authorised, it was not required to include safety measures.
However, Area Coroner Chris Long determined that despite the alterations, they had not contributed to the incident.
Owen’s parents said, “Four months ago we lost Owen from a severe brain injury caused by coming off a Sur-Ron E-Bike. If he was wearing a helmet, we’ve no doubt the outcome could have been very different and Owen would be here today.
“More legislation is needed for e-bikes and e-scooters. I regard the operation of many e-bikes as more akin to a motorcycle road bike than a bicycle.
“They achieve acceleration to a top speed of 40+mph, much faster than anything else on the roads.
“Since Owens accident we’ve personally seen teenagers without helmets and careless adults speeding down streets/roads and even pavements on their e-bikes for public safety, helmet requirements, age limitations and operating restrictions should be implemented for e-bikes, as they are for motorcycles.
“This may prevent other parents and families going through this same tragic hell as we are.”