Man dies after Lime e-scooter incident in Auckland

Tuesday, 25 June 2019

A Lime scooter could be seen at the scene after an incident in Auckland.

A 58-year-old man has died after an incident involving a Lime e-scooter in central Auckland.

The incident happened on a footpath beside Fanshawe St, near the intersection with Bradnor Lane, shortly before 10pm on Monday.

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Lime scooters were lined up ready to be hired on Tuesday morning just metres from where the man died on Fanshawe St.

The man had been travelling on a e-scooter near electricity firm Vector's Hobson St substation before he died.

Lime spokeswoman Lauren Mentjox said the company was 'devastated to learn of this tragic incident'.

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Emergency services at the scene of a Lime scooter incident on Fanshawe St, near the intersection with Bradnor Lane, in Auckland

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'Our thoughts are with the victim's family and friends during this difficult time,' she said.

Mentjox said Lime had been in contact with local authorities and would continue to assist 'however possible'.

All e-scooter companies recently agreed to have a 15kmh speed limit in parts of the city, including where the man was riding.

Torn-off Fire and Emergency caution tape remained tied around an area of footpath, where a small patch of blood was visible on Tuesday morning.

In April, Lime added a safety feature to its app for people using e-scooters at night, which requires anyone using an e-scooter after 10pm to confirm they are capable of controlling it.

A message pops up warning that drinking alcohol and riding is dangerous and illegal, and calls for the user to confirm they are safe to ride. It requires the word 'yes' to be typed in before the scooter will unlock.

Mentjox said the scooters, which have had more than 1.6 million rides in Auckland, were collected at night for charging. They are locked between the hours of midnight and 5am.

Auckland councillor Christine Fletcher, who previously shared concerns about e-scooters after she was almost knocked over by one, wants them removed from the streets until the outcome of a coroner's investigation into the man's death.

Lime scooters available in the general area near where the man died as of 8.30am on Tuesday.

'One death is too many deaths,' she said.

But Auckland mayor Phil Goff said it wasn't sensible to speculate on the cause of the incident until police release information around the circumstances.

'Like all accidents on our roads, this death is a tragedy and our thoughts are with the victim's family and friends,' Goff said.

'When the police and coroner reports are available, we will know if any other action needs to be taken by local or central government agencies.'

The circumstances of the man's death were unclear, but were not thought to be suspicious, police said.

It is thought to be the first fatal incident involving one of the scooters in New Zealand, but the details of what had happened are not yet fully clear.

On Tuesday morning, four Lime e-scooters were lined up ready to be hired just metres from where the incident happened.

Torn-off Fire and Emergency caution tape was still tied around an area of footpath, where a small patch of blood was visible.

An orange cone had been placed on top of a manhole cover with a metal lid near to the cordon.

Michael, who lives in an apartment near where the incident happened, said he thought all the commotion was a police chase at first.

He saw about three ambulances, two rapid response vehicles and two police cars at the scene.

Michael said there was a tree near where the incident occurred and he had nearly fallen while riding past it himself because there was a dip in the footpath.

'If your wheel slips, you will come off,' he said.

He said it was an area where people often rode scooters fast, it was on a tight turn and it was only a matter of time before someone came off a scooter there.

An Auckland Transport spokeswoman said it was saddened to hear of the man's death but said it could not comment further because of the police investigation.

Auckland Council's Craig Hobbs said it was saddened to hear the 'tragic reports' of the incident.

Hobbs said the council, which issues e-scooter licences, had been in touch with police and e-scooter operators.

Lime e-scooters were removed from Auckland's streets in February due to a firmware problem, which caused the wheel's to lock up, sending people flying over the handlebars.

Auckland Council suspended Lime's licence on February 22 and the e-scooters were taken off the streets until the company proved the glitch could be sorted.

Lime also removed its e-scooters from Dunedin at the same time.

Two weeks later, after fixing the glitch and providing safety information to Auckland Council, the ban was lifted and the scooters returned on March 7.

Lime's figures showed the software glitch had caused 155 'irregular braking incidents' across New Zealand, resulting in 30 injuries. Nineteen of those injuries were in Auckland.

The Accident Compensation Corporation paid out a total of $739,184 for all e-scooter related injuries, from the time Lime arrived in New Zealand in October to March 6.

Anyone who witnessed Monday night's incident was asked to contact Auckland police on 09 302 6400.