Minnesota trauma doctors say the warm-weather rush is bringing more than just sunburns. Across the Twin Cities, hospitals are reporting a sharp rise in serious injuries tied to electric bicycles and scooters, from skull fractures to spinal trauma, and they are sounding the alarm that many riders have no idea how hard these fast, heavy machines can hit.
At a gathering in St. Paul this week, hospital staff, clinicians and families came together with a unified message: the booming popularity of personal electric vehicles is coming with a cost that shows up in CT scans and intensive care beds.
Last spring and summer alone, e-bike crashes sent 466 people to clinics and emergency rooms, while 639 people were treated for e-scooter injuries in that same six-month window. More than 100 of those patients were admitted for severe trauma. Regions Hospital also reported at least 54 trauma cases related to e-bikes or e-scooters in 2025, up from 22 in 2023, according to the Star Tribune.
“We need to be protecting kids and individuals from these severe injuries as much as possible - keep those brains and spines healthy,” said Dr. Angela Sinner, a pediatric rehabilitation specialist who spoke at the St. Paul event.
The helmet numbers tell their own story, and it is not a comforting one. Only about one in five e-bike crash victims and roughly one in 20 e-scooter crash victims were known to be wearing helmets, according to reporting by the Star Tribune.
National research backs the local warning
What Minnesota doctors are seeing is not a fluke. Across the country, researchers have tracked steep increases in micromobility injuries as e-bikes and e-scooters have taken off.
A national analysis found that emergency department visits and hospitalizations tied to e-bike use rose dramatically between 2017 and 2022, and that head injuries climbed as helmet use dropped. That peer-reviewed research, published in JAMA Surgery, linked lower helmet use to higher odds of serious head trauma.
Lawmakers weighing tougher rules
Minnesota law already puts some guardrails on these rides. E-scooters are limited to motor assistance up to 15 mph, riders must be at least 12, and helmets are required until age 18. E-bikes fall into equipment- and speed-based categories that determine how and where they can be used.
Even so, lawmakers are debating whether the rules have kept up with the technology. Proposals on the table include new helmet requirements and tighter regulations for faster “e-moto” style bikes, as outlined in a State Senate report.
How clinicians say riders can reduce risk
Doctors and injury-prevention experts say some of the most effective protections are also the simplest. Their list: wear a helmet every time, practice in low-traffic areas before mixing with cars, avoid riding under the influence and remember that e-bikes are heavier and faster than standard pedal bikes, which means longer stopping distances and harder impacts.
Those recommendations echo national guidance, including safety tips from Harvard Health and findings from peer-reviewed studies that show helmets and defensive riding reduce the risk of catastrophic head and spine injuries.
For families who have already lost loved ones or seen life-changing injuries, the debate is not academic. Local advocates at the St. Paul event urged wider helmet programs, more public education and clearer, consistent rules as Minnesota tries to balance the benefits of micromobility with the reality showing up in its trauma bays.
