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Study: Wrist bone fracture is most common scooter injury

Posted at 2:41 PM, Dec 06, 2019
and last updated 2019-12-06 14:41:05-05

INDIANAPOLIS — A new study involving IU Health shows you may want to better protect yourself before you get on a motorized scooter.

The Radiological Society of North America conducted a study that examined 36 people who went to IU Health because of a scooter incident.

The most common injury among those studied was a fracture of the forearm bone close to the wrist. There were also injuries noted to the head, ankle and face.

"E-scooters have a narrow platform, can travel up to 15 to 20 miles per hour and require a level of coordination and skill that is often not native to many users," said study co-author Aiza Ashraf, M.D., diagnostic radiology resident at the Indiana University School of Medicine. "Whereas physical effort is required to get a bicycle up to speed, e-scooters are self-powering."

The study recommended users wearing helmets and hand/wrist guards. It also said communities should consider imposing speed limits on the devices.