Two children, two lost lives: What is happening on our streets and why do parents underestimate the danger?
The tragic death of a 14-year-old boy after falling from an electric scooter in Metković has shaken Croatia. The news, which spread across the country within hours, raised numerous questions about child safety on electric scooters, parental responsibility, and adherence to traffic rules. However, before the public had even recovered from this shock, another tragedy struck. Today, a 13-year-old boy in Buzet died after falling off a bicycle. He suffered a head injury and was later found lifeless in his bed by his parents. Despite all efforts, doctors were unable to save his life.
These two tragedies occurred within just a few days. Two children. Two lost lives.
The question that naturally arises is: what is happening? Are these unfortunate accidents or a warning that children are increasingly participating in traffic without sufficient experience, protection, and awareness of dangers?
Doctors who treat the most severely injured children have been warning for months that the number of accidents is rising. Particularly concerning is the fact that injuries resulting from falls from electric scooters are often so severe they require urgent neurosurgical operations, multi-month treatment, and sometimes leave lasting consequences.
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We spoke with Dr. Miroslav Gjurašin, a neurosurgeon from the Clinic for Children's Diseases in Zagreb and director of the Reference Center for Pediatric Traumatology at the Ministry of Health, who sees the consequences of such accidents almost daily.
The number of seriously injured children is increasing year by year.
On the question of how alarming it is that more and more children are being treated for injuries sustained from electric scooters, Dr. Gjurašin says that doctors noticed an alarming increase last spring.
"We noticed a multiple-fold increase in the number of children admitted to hospital treatment following falls from electric scooters during the spring of 2025 at the Clinic for Children's Diseases in Zagreb, Klaićevo. We informed the public about this trend. What particularly concerned us was that the injuries were serious, required long-term treatment, and left permanent consequences for some children. Unfortunately, today we still receive several children per week who have been injured due to falling from an electric scooter, and the trend is especially pronounced with the arrival of warmer weather."
Injuries that change lives
Doctors today no longer speak only of broken arms or legs. The most severe consequences come from head and brain injuries.
"The most common injuries are skull fractures with brain injuries, long bone fractures in the limbs, and epidural hematomas that press on the brain and require emergency neurosurgery. Concussions with bleeding under the meninges of the brain are also common, leading children to intensive care."
Why are scooters more dangerous than bicycles?
From the experience of the neurosurgeon, falling from an electric scooter often results in significantly worse outcomes compared to falling from a bicycle.
"Injuries that children sustain from falling from an electric scooter are generally serious and severe. Electric scooters develop higher speeds, the ride is less stable, there is no seat, making balance easily lost in turns or when encountering obstacles. Children often do not understand how dangerous such speed can be, and an additional problem is that two people often ride on one scooter."
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A helmet often makes the difference between life and death.
One fact particularly worries doctors. Children who suffer the most severe head injuries almost never wear protective helmets.
"Almost always, children who fall from an electric scooter and suffer head or brain injuries do not wear protective helmets. A blow to the head against concrete without a helmet can lead to skull fractures, serious brain injuries, coma, and emergency neurosurgery. Every minute then can decide life or death. We often tell parents that it is better for the helmet to break than the child’s head. Unfortunately, many realize this too late."
Especially dangerous rides in pairs
From everyday practice, the doctor highlights situations that unfortunately repeat themselves.
"Particularly severe traffic accidents involve cars hitting electric scooters. Often, the children who are passengers are not holding anything and are not wearing protective helmets."
Parents are often unaware of the risk.
A large part of the problem, according to Dr. Gjurašin, lies in the fact that electric scooters are still perceived as toys.
"It is possible that parents underestimate the danger or simply do not know what their children are doing when they are not under adult supervision. Children often take other people's scooters and ride them far from adult sight. That is why prevention and conversation with children are extremely important."
The biggest problem is not just surviving the accident. Many young patients, after severe injuries, no longer live as they did before.
"Brain injuries require long-term recovery, and some children suffer lifelong consequences such as headaches, learning difficulties, developmental disorders, movement impairments, hearing loss, or balance problems. We are talking about a permanent disability that follows the child throughout their life. After surgery, there are also permanent scars, and sometimes additional reconstructive surgeries of the skull are needed."
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Buying a scooter is not a risk-free decision.
To parents considering buying an electric scooter, the doctor sends a very clear message.
"Let them carefully consider whether they want to buy an electric scooter for their child. Even more importantly, let them talk to their child about the dangers of participating in traffic and constantly emphasize the importance of wearing a protective helmet."
After Metković—should the law be changed?
The tragic death of the boys in Metković once again opened the question of whether stricter regulations are needed or if the problem is primarily the responsibility of adults.
"Unfortunately, one young life is gone, and precisely in this tragedy is reflected the entire issue of children riding electric scooters."
Croatia
