Kennedi Chandler is slowly making her way back to school and easing into the sports she loves after a violent e-bike crash that left her with a massive brain bleed and a fractured skull. Surgeons spent hours operating, and she then spent weeks in the hospital before starting what her family describes as a long, gradual recovery. They say the ordeal has completely changed how they think about helmet safety and e-bike rules in Hamilton County.
As reported by WTHR, Chandler, who had received the e-bike as a Christmas gift, was not wearing a helmet when she was rushed to the hospital with what doctors called a massive brain bleed and a skull fracture. She told WTHR she had planned to get a fitted helmet the very next day and now warns other riders that "you have to wear a helmet because a simple fall could turn into a horrible thing." Pediatric neurosurgeon Dr. Jodi Smith told WTHR that "if the cranium cracks you're likely going to have a brain bleed that can turn into a fatal injury."
National spike in e-bike head injuries
Chandler’s crash is playing out against a much bigger national trend. A JAMA Surgery analysis of National Electronic Injury Surveillance System data found estimated e-bike injuries jumped from roughly 751 cases in 2017 to about 23,493 in 2022, with head injuries making up a growing share of hospital admissions over that period, according to JAMA Surgery.
Cities tighten micromobility rules
Local governments are scrambling to catch up with the surge in e-bikes and other fast-moving gadgets. Carmel recently revised its city code to define micromobility, restrict higher-speed devices on multiuse paths and set speed limits for certain areas, according to the city’s ordinance. Fishers has proposed limiting e-bike riders to age 15 and requiring them to operate only in bike lanes and roadways, a measure local officials are still weighing and that is reflected in recent municipal code updates such as those available from the City of Carmel code library.
Helmets make a measurable difference
Researchers and trauma surgeons point out that when crashes do happen, helmets sharply cut the risk of serious damage. A systematic review by Cochrane found that helmet use lowers the risk of head, brain and severe brain injury by roughly two-thirds or more, protection experts say is especially important as e-bikes travel at higher assisted speeds.
Chandler’s slow but steady recovery has become a cautionary tale for families who might see e-bikes as toys rather than powerful machines. Her parents say they will keep sharing their daughter’s story as communities debate age limits, speed caps and where these devices should be allowed.
