Pert Lomp's daughter Elisabeth was seriously injured and fell into a coma last week after crashing an electric scooter while traveling at more than 50 km/h. She has since left the intensive care unit (ICU) but remains under medical observation with a fractured skull.

"Thankfully she's mentally sound, she can move her arms and legs, and yesterday she was already joking around with us," Lomp said. Even so, his daughter has a long and painful recovery ahead of her.

The scooter belonged to another minor. Lomp said kids shouldn't have access to e-scooters capable of reaching such speeds.

"These unrestricted scooters can be deadly machines," he stressed, adding that some parents don't fully consider the worst-case scenarios when buying them.

Lomp said he and his spouse have always stressed helmet use to their kids, and their daughter normally wore one. After waking from a coma, however, Elisabeth said she couldn't remember why she wasn't wearing a helmet that day.

"As parents, we don't always realize that we can talk to our kids about it, but they have a strong drive for dopamine and adrenaline," Lomp acknowledged. "And they're quick to forget their parents' safety advice in the heat of the moment."

He said the family has since received hundreds of supportive messages from other parents, many saying they no longer plan to buy e-scooters for their children after hearing what happened.

Awareness, not bans

Before the crash, Lomp said he'd regularly see riders speeding along pedestrian paths without helmets while out walking his dog. Since he shared his daughter's story publicly, however, he has noticed fewer high-speed scooters, more helmet use and more riders sticking to the roadway.

"No one wants to ban scooters," he said. "It's just a matter of knowing how to use them safely and following all safety requirements."

Last August, two teenagers in Lääne-Viru County were injured after losing control of an e-scooter traveling at more than 70 km/h after its speed limited had been removed.

The rider, who was wearing a helmet, was injured and taken to the hospital by ambulance. The passenger, who was not wearing a helmet, sustained less severe injuries and was taken to the hospital by their parents.

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