A 20-year-old Port Huron man ended up pinned beneath a Jeep Compass on Sunday after riding his e-bike into an intersection without stopping, an accident that has reignited the city's push to rein in sidewalk e-bike speeds. The crash happened at the intersection of Pine Grove Avenue and Prospect Place, and it left the rider trapped in the wreckage until fire crews could free him.
According to CBS News Detroit, the Port Huron Police Department reported that the man was riding his e-bike northbound on the east sidewalk of Pine Grove Avenue at about 23 mph when he rode into the path of the Jeep and failed to stop before entering the intersection. Police determined the rider was at fault for failing to stop at the intersection. The rider told CBS News Detroit that he risked it when crossing the intersection, and he ended up partially pinned beneath the Jeep.
Port Huron Fire Department and Tri-Hospital EMS crews arrived at the scene and freed the rider from the wreckage before Tri-Hospital EMS took him to McLaren Port Huron Hospital for treatment. He was later released from the hospital, per the same account. The Jeep driver was not injured in the collision.
City Was Already Drafting Sidewalk Speed Limits
The crash lands amid a broader municipal reckoning over e-bike speeds on sidewalks. Port Huron officials had already begun drafting sidewalk safety proposals before the Pine Grove Avenue crash, including a 15 mph sidewalk speed limit for bicycles and e-bikes, mandatory pedestrian right-of-way rules, and audible warning requirements before passing pedestrians, according to ClickOnDetroit.
City Manager James Freed said e-bikes on city sidewalks can be dangerous when moving at high speed and disregarding traffic laws, and he said officials continue to work on legislation to prevent these types of accidents, per the CBS News Detroit report. Port Huron officials are now reviewing regulations on the operation of e-bikes, and city officials are evaluating potential regulations regarding e-bikes and other motorized devices. Per the police department, potential regulations focus on protecting pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and other users of the public right-of-way. The Port Huron Police Department is reminding bicyclists and e-bike riders to obey traffic signs and signals, travel at a safe speed for conditions, and watch for other vehicles and pedestrians.
A Statewide Pattern of Restrictions
Port Huron is not alone in weighing sidewalk restrictions. Berkley's city council voted unanimously this month to advance an ordinance banning e-bikes, e-scooters, and electric skateboards from all city sidewalks and parks, as Hoodline reported, joining other Metro Detroit communities such as South Lyon in restricting motorized micromobility devices on footpaths. State law grants local authorities discretion to limit or prohibit e-bike operation on municipal sidewalks, and more Michigan cities appear ready to use it.
Michigan law currently defines electric bicycles under a three-class framework capped at 750 watts, with Class 1 and 2 models assisting up to 20 mph and Class 3 pedal-assist models reaching 28 mph, according to the Michigan Legislature. Class 3 riders under 18 are required to wear helmets. At the state level, Michigan House Bill 6166, introduced in July, would require riders under 18 who lack a standard driver's license to obtain a special restricted license before operating Class 2 or Class 3 e-bikes on public roads.
Rising Injury Numbers Across the Region
The Pine Grove Avenue crash follows a string of serious and fatal e-bike incidents across Michigan this summer. Two teenagers were killed in separate e-bike collisions in July, including a 15-year-old struck by a semi-truck on July 4 and a 13-year-old killed in Huron Township on July 9, a crash Hoodline covered in detail at the time. Just last week, Hoodline also reported that a 13-year-old boy suffered a brain bleed and his sister was hurt in a Redford e-bike crash.
Corewell Health's William Beaumont University Hospital in Royal Oak treated 22 e-bike injury cases between January and mid-June, with 16 involving pediatric patients, and pediatric surgeons there have reported annual increases in e-bike trauma admissions since 2023. Nationally, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission found emergency department visits for e-bike injuries rose from 24,400 in 2022 to 34,200 in 2023, with overall micromobility fatalities reaching 533 between 2017 and 2024. Michigan State Police have also flagged aftermarket modification kits capable of pushing e-bikes up to 40 mph, noting that any device exceeding 28 mph under motor assistance loses its legal e-bike status under state law.
What Happens Next for the Injured Rider
Even though police cited the Port Huron rider for failing to stop, Michigan's no-fault auto insurance system still affords him a path to medical coverage. Under state law, an e-bike rider injured in a collision involving a motor vehicle is eligible to claim Personal Protection Insurance benefits for allowable medical expenses regardless of fault, either through a household auto policy or the Michigan Assigned Claims Plan under MCL 500.3115, according to the Michigan Legal Center. That protection exists independent of Port Huron's fault determination and separate from whatever sidewalk rules the city ultimately adopts.
