Two 14-year-old boys suffered major injuries after an 88-year-old Lexus driver struck them while they were riding an e-scooter and an e-moto through a California intersection, police say.
The crash happened shortly before 8 p.m. Tuesday in Riverside. According to the Riverside Police Department, the boys were traveling south on Mitchell Avenue and attempting to cross Arlington Avenue when they were struck.
Police said one boy was riding an e-scooter and the other an e-moto, a distinction that matters under California law. Neither machine is necessarily an “e-bike,” despite the term often being used broadly for electric two-wheelers.
Both boys were taken to a hospital with major injuries. ABC7 reported that they were in extremely critical condition.
At The Intersection
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Riverside’s Public Safety Communications Center began receiving reports of a collision involving two bikes at Arlington and Mitchell avenues at about 7:46 p.m., according to police.
Officers and the Riverside Fire Department responded and found the two injured 14-year-olds.
Police said their preliminary investigation showed that an 88-year-old man driving a silver Lexus was heading west on Arlington Avenue. The boys were heading south on Mitchell Avenue and attempting to cross the intersection when the Lexus struck them.
Video from the scene shows extensive damage to the Lexus’ windshield and pieces of the two electric machines scattered around the roadway and beneath the car.
The Lexus driver remained at the scene and was interviewed by police. He was not injured, and CBS Los Angeles reported that no arrests had been made.
Police said it had not yet been determined whether drugs or alcohol were factors in the collision.
The department’s Major Accident Investigation Team took over the investigation.
Not E-Bikes
The machines involved also present an increasingly important distinction in California.
Police specifically identified one as an e-scooter and the other as an e-moto.
Under California Department of Motor Vehicles rules, riders must be at least 16 years old and possess a valid driver’s license or permit to operate a motorized scooter. Motorized scooters can be operated on public streets and do not require registration.
That means a 14-year-old is too young to legally operate a motorized scooter on a California public street.
The e-moto falls into a different category altogether.
A California law that took effect Jan. 1 created a specific definition for an off-highway electric motorcycle, commonly called an e-moto.
The California Highway Patrol says an e-moto is designed primarily for off-highway use, powered by an electric motor, has handlebars and a straddle seat, rides on two wheels, and does not have manufacturer-provided pedals.
Unlike an electric bicycle, an e-moto is classified as an off-highway motor vehicle.
CHP says those machines are prohibited on public roadways and must be registered as off-highway vehicles.
The distinction also separates e-motos from California’s three classes of legal electric bicycles. State law defines an electric bicycle as a bicycle with fully operable pedals and an electric motor that does not exceed 750 watts.
What Happened?
The legality of the machines does not establish who caused Tuesday’s collision.
Police have disclosed the direction each party was traveling and said the boys were attempting to cross Arlington Avenue, but the department’s preliminary account does not say who had the right of way or identify a traffic violation that caused the crash.
It also does not say the boys were speeding, doing wheelies, racing, or otherwise riding recklessly before they were struck.
Those questions became a focus of reaction to video coverage of the crash, with viewers debating whether the machines were really e-bikes and whether the young riders were legally allowed to operate them on the street.
The first question now has an answer from police: they were an e-scooter and an e-moto. California’s DMV and CHP provide the answer to the second.
What remains unresolved is what happened in the intersection itself.
Traffic Bureau Sgt. Tim Jensen urged people traveling by any mode to follow traffic laws, remain alert, and use caution when entering intersections.
“Taking a few extra seconds to make sure you are traveling safely can help prevent a devastating collision,” Jensen said.
Police asked anyone with information about the crash to contact Riverside Police Traffic Detective Matt Parrish at 951-353-7177.