Cops’ urgent message to parents after teen boy killed on e-bike on the Gold Coast

Police have urged parents to re-think purchasing e-bikes for their children after a teenager died after falling from an electric dirt bike on the Gold Coast.

The 15-year old Worongary boy lost control on Broadbeach Rd in Broadbeach about 3am on Saturday, police said.

Paramedics found a teenage boy with significant head injuries in a life-threatening condition when they arrived at the scene, a Queensland Ambulance spokesman said.

A police spokesman said the rider died at the scene.

“Forensic Crash Unit officers are investigating a motorbike crash after a teenager rider died in Broadbeach early (Saturday) morning,” a spokesman said.

“Investigations are ongoing to establish if speed was a contributing factor to the crash.”

Chief Superintendent Kylie Rigg spoke to media on Saturday saying she saw the tragedy e-bikes brought families every day.

Ms Rigg said children and teens did not have the skills to ride unregistered, high-powered e-bikes on streets and footpaths that could travel more than 60km/h.

“They’re not bicycles, and they have battery assistance,” she said.

“Non compliant bikes go far too fast for our children to be on them, they’re simply not skilled to use them.”

It is the second similar fatality to occur in Queensland within three days after a primary school aged boy riding an e-bike crashed with an older rider and died on Thursday afternoon

The incident happened after school when the riders were travelling along a bike path near Kawana Way and the Sunshine Motorway interchange at Mountain Creek.

The primary school aged boy was rushed to Sunshine Coast University Hospital in a critical injury, but succumbed to his injuries and died.

The older boy refused medical treatment and was assisting police with their inquiries.

Speaking to reporters, the chief superintendent urged parents to think about what they were putting their children on.

“They are illegal and we’ve seen so many occasions in the past few weeks children being killed,” she said.

“If the children are not killed, they are receiving significant injuries, which have devastating lifelong consequences for our families and our young people.”