Concerned residents have called for a ban on 'death trap' electric scooters following the tragic death of a 12-year-old boy in a collision with a bus.
The tragedy took place just before 8am yesterday - Tuesday - and the youngster's family are being supported by specially trained police officers, according to West Midlands Police.
The boy, who hasn't been named, suffered fatal injuries in a collision with bus in the Belchers Lane area of Bordesley Green, Birmingham.
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The devastating incident has left locals across the city divided on what action should be taken, with some suggesting e-scooters should be taken off the streets, reports Birmingham Live. Steve Conway posted on Facebook: "Have been saying this for months, it was an accident waiting to happen. Ban them death traps scooters!"
Sar Theresa Payne said: "Get rid of them for goodness sake! This isn’t the first and it won't be the last. Prayers to the boy's family."
"I work at Heartlands Hospital and constantly see school children from Waverley School riding these," Charlotte Guymer said. "They are dangerous (especially for children) and should be banned."
Craig Lloyd added: "Get them off the streets. Three times in Birmingham I've come close to being wiped out on the pavement and I've had one shoot out in front of me and nearly over my bonnet coming out of the Mailbox car park."
Others argued that a ban on e-scooters would not be the best course of action. Mark Cohen said: "You don’t ban cars or buses when it's their fault. How about real laws in using them like age, license etc. Regulate properly. Banning will mean more cars, more accidents more deaths."
Paul Tonkin said: "It’s a sad story for sure but hundreds of people die every day in cars and you don’t suddenly call for them to be banned?" James Thomas added: "People said the car was a menace when it was first introduced. E-scooters are a brilliant means of reducing car use and opening up our roads."
In a statement, West Midlands Police said: "A boy has sadly died after a collision involving a bus in Birmingham.
"The 12-year-old is believed to have been riding an e-scooter when he collided with a bus on Bordesley Green, near to the junction with Belchers Lane, just before 8am. He was sadly confirmed dead at the scene. The youngster's family has been told, and are being supported by specially trained officers."
Det Sgt Paul Hughes, of West Midlands Police's serious collision investigation unit, said in a statement on Tuesday: "This is an awful tragedy for the young boy's family and friends, and our thoughts are with them at this time. We've spoken to a number of witnesses, but still want to hear from any of the passengers on the bus who we've not yet spoken to, or from people who may have captured what happened on dashcam.
"If people do have footage, we'd ask them not to share it on social media but to send it to us so that we can help establish exactly what happened."
E-scooter hire fire Voi, meanwhile, has confirmed it is liaising with West Midlands Police and added: "Our thoughts are with the deceased’s family and friends. The news of this tragic accident has shocked us deeply."
It is understood the schoolboy was riding one of the scooters, which are available to hire in the city for over 18s with a provisional licence.
A Birmingham City Council spokesperson said: "Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the boy at this awful time. Police are investigating the circumstances of the collision and have appealed for witnesses, so we would not be able to comment further while that is on-going."
A Transport for West Midlands spokesperson said: "Our thoughts and sympathies go out to the family and friends of the boy who died so tragically this morning. The incident is now the subject of an ongoing police investigation and it is only right and proper we await the findings before commenting further."
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