A 33-year-old Allentown man has died more than a week after losing control of an electric scooter and striking his head on the road, according to the Lehigh County Coroner's Office. Cory R. Smith was pronounced dead at 10:22 p.m. on Sunday, nine days after the crash.
The crash happened at about 3:20 p.m. on August 28 near North 16th and West Liberty streets in Allentown, according to the coroner's office, as reported by lehighvalleylive.com. Smith was riding the scooter when he lost control and struck his head on the pavement. He was not wearing a helmet at the time, the outlet reported.
Lehigh County Coroner Daniel Buglio determined that Smith's death was caused by complications of blunt-force injuries to the head, and ruled the death an accident. The investigation into the crash was not further detailed in the account.
A Familiar Pattern in Lehigh County
Fatal roadway collisions in Lehigh County typically draw a multi-agency response, with municipal police, the district attorney's office and the coroner's office all weighing in to determine whether traffic violations or liability are involved. Smith's death adds to a string of recent fatal crashes involving motorized two-wheeled vehicles in the Allentown area, including an 18-year-old killed on Hamilton Street last month.
Smith's death also lands amid a broader reckoning over e-scooter safety in Pennsylvania, where the devices occupy a murky legal space. Under the state Vehicle Code, stand-up electric scooters cannot legally be ridden on public streets anywhere in the state, according to a notice from the Lower Chichester Police Department.
Lawmakers Weigh Statewide Rules
Despite that default prohibition, e-scooter use remains widespread, and state lawmakers held a policy hearing in the Lehigh Valley on September 1 on Senate Bill 1008, known as Abby's Law, which would legalize low-speed e-scooters with a 20 mph limit, require minors to wear helmets and not allow people under 16 to drive, as reported by MyChesCo. The bill was introduced and named for 12-year-old Abby Gillon, who was struck by a car in Delaware County, according to a press release from the Pennsylvania Senate Democrats.
At the hearing, Scott Slingerland, executive director of the Lehigh Valley-based Coalition for Appropriate Transportation, told lawmakers that riding an e-scooter today feels like “the wild west,” and he called for local health networks to share hospital emergency room crash data because many solo e-scooter falls never get reported to police, according to WPSU Radio. That undercounting concern underscores broader questions about e-scooter safety.
Head Injuries and the Helmet Gap
Head injuries and helmet use remain concerns in discussions about e-scooter safety. Emergency-department visits involving e-scooters have also drawn attention.
Statewide, vulnerable road users remain a safety concern. Allentown has also faced e-scooter safety concerns.
No further details on potential charges or the outcome of the police investigation into Smith's crash have been released. The crash remains under investigation.
