"This ruined my life": Mum still seeking justice after horror e-bike crash

Sarah was crossing on George Street in Sydney's CBD on February 2023 when she was brutally struck by a Lime e-bike rider. At the time of the accident, she was three months pregnant. 

Speaking to Yahoo News, Sarah explained she had been crossing the street when she heard someone yell "look out!" but before she could react, she was knocked down by the speeding vehicle. 

She claims that the bike user was illegally riding with a companion on the handle bars at the time, and fled the scene when she cried out "my baby!" 

Fortunately, Sarah's unborn daughter was unharmed during the incident, but she was left with lifelong injuries. 

"My foot was crushed, I had dislocations and many broken bones, and I needed 21 screws, two plates and two pins," Sarah said. 

 "As a result of the injury, the skin on my foot began to die with fracture blisters, so I needed skin grafts as well.

"I required six surgeries on my foot in total. One on my elbow, which was broken. One big plate and seven screws. Six weeks of non-weight bearing on my arm, and much longer on my foot. Around 12 weeks plus altogether."

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It took the mum six months after the accident to be able to walk again - three weeks before she gave birth. 

"The pain was unbelievable," she recalled. 

"The trauma was unbelievable. It was all just horrible, horrendous. It really was." 

Her family tried to seek compensation from Lime, but they deflected any blame saying that they would only take responsibility if the accident was caused by a faulty Lime bike, but not reckless riding. 

Since Lime e-bikes are rented by individuals, liability typically falls on the rider, not the company, they argued.

The family's solicitor had also obtained CCTV footage of the incident, and had tried to get police to follow up but have been hit with multiple roadblocks since. 

"The police had their name, addresses, mobile and photos. [But] they only called one time, and went to the house one time. That's it. A high commissioner rang me to apologise, but then they still did nothing."

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Now, Sarah and her family are calling for the total ban of e-bikes in Australia. 

"They should be banned," Sarah said. "The government and Lime have just let loose motorised vehicles that can hurt riders and pedestrians, and have not covered anyone but themselves.

"There is no policing how fast they are going. This ruined my body, my life and my first pregnancy. And nobody has been held accountable."

While Sarah's baby was unharmed in the accident, nine months after her birth, the baby girl "was found to have tetralogy of Fallot" — a rare but serious heart defect that affects how blood flows through the heart.

"She needed open heart surgery and will need it every 10 years. My injuries made everything a lot harder. But hopefully I can change things," Sarah said.

"I'm certainly scarred for life."

Image: Yahoo News