7:00am Monday 16th March 2009
By Lorraine Price
A DISABLED dad has called for action after he was left shaken and injured after being hit by a mobility scooter.
Bob Scott said the collision happened on the pavement of High Street, Dovercourt, as he left a shop, at about 11.45am on Wednesday.
Bob, of Regimental Way, Dovercourt, was taken to hospital by ambulance and said he was in a “state of shock” at the time.
He added: “I was on my way to pick up my five-year-old son from school. I saw the scooter coming and I tried to back out of his way.
“It kept coming – I ended up back in the bank. He pinned me up by the door.
“I hurt my neck, shoulder, back, I have pulled tendons in my foot, which swelled up, and skin has come off my leg and arm.
“The elderly man was quite dazed himself.”
The 58-year-old, who suffers from osteoporosis and has soft bones, added that he fears someone will be seriously hurt unless something is done to highlight the dangers of the scooters.
“I was told by police there was no current legislation regarding mobility scooters on the pavements,” he said.
“I am extremely frustrated. I am not going to be the only one to have had something like this happen.
“I am disabled myself. If my child had been holding my hand, things could have been far more serious.
“As more and more people buy these mobility scooters, there will be more accidents. I would have thought there would have been some law on it.
“My main concern is for the general public and raising awareness about the safety of these scooters – they are too fast for the pavement and too slow for the road.”
Nishan Wijeratne, a police spokesman, said: “We have reviewed the incident and we will be contacting the pedestrian to obtain a statement. “The incident is not defined as a road crash as the motorised scooter is not classed as a motorised vehicle under road traffic legislation.”
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