2 teens injured in e-bike crash in Libertyville

LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. — Police say two teen girls are recovering in the hospital on Wednesday morning after they were involved in a crash while riding an e-bike in the north suburbs overnight. According to police, the crash unfolded just after 9 p.m. Tuesday near the intersection of Milwaukee Avenue and East Winchester Road in Libertyville. Libertyville police were first called to the scene following a report of a crash involving an e-bike and a vehicle. A preliminary investigation indicates that a gray Chevrolet Blazer was headed north on Milwaukee and proceeded through the intersection on a green light when it collided with an e-bike being driven by a 15-year-old girl, who had another 15-year-old girl as a passenger. One of the teens suffered life-threatening injuries in the crash, while the other suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Both were later hospitalized. The driver of the Chevrolet was not injured in the crash. Authorities say an investigation into the crash is ongoing. A recent survey has shed some light on how families are approaching e-bike safety and where experts say there is room for improvement. It found that many parents say their children don't consistently wear helmets while riding. "What we are seeing in the emergency department with e-bike injuries is a real increase in the numbers that are coming in every year," said Dr. Michelle Macy, an emergency medicine physician with Lurie Children's Hospital. Macy has also helped author a Voices of Child Health report, which surveyed more than 1,000 Illinois parents about children’s use of motorized vehicles. Nine percent of parents said their child rides an e-bike. Forty-eight percent said their child always wears a helmet while riding. The survey also found helmet use decreases as children get older. "As kids get older, the resistance to some of those safety measures really picks up. So, I think parents will sometimes think, 'It's not worth the fight,' and I want parents to get the message that safety is worth the fight every time," Macy said. The findings come as Illinois is preparing to roll out new statewide regulations. "That's going to make it so that we're keeping kids who are under 15 safe by not allowing them to be using e-bikes. And then, considering e-bikes are moving as quickly as cars, thinking about that driver's training," Macy said. Researchers hope their findings will encourage families to prioritize safety as e-bikes become more popular.