A 16-year-old boy was seriously injured Monday afternoon after a car ran over both of his legs while he rode an electric scooter near Bingham High School in South Jordan. The crash happened around 3:50 p.m. in the parking lot of a dance studio near 10400 South and 2200 West, and the teenager was in surgery at last check, with police saying he is expected to survive.
According to KUTV, the driver was making a right turn out of the parking lot and told officers she looked both ways but did not see the teenager approaching on the scooter. The vehicle ran over both of his legs, and South Jordan Police Sgt. Becker confirmed the crash location and timing to the station. Police say the teenager's injuries were substantial, though he is expected to pull through.
Notably, South Jordan Police did not cite the driver, and officers confirmed the teenager was legally riding the scooter at the time of the crash. Under Utah Code § 41-6a-1115, motor-assisted scooters carry the same rights and duties as bicycles on roadways, according to a summary from Bo, which also notes state law caps their operational speed on public ways at 15 mph. That legal status, however, does not touch on the fact that the teen was not wearing a helmet, a detail that stands out given Utah's newly tightened rules for young riders.
A New Helmet Law With Gray Areas
Effective in May, Utah House Bill 381 requires all riders under 21 to wear CPSC-compliant helmets while operating electric scooters or e-bikes on public roadways, according to the Utah Highway Safety Office. The helmet requirement is set out under Section 41-6a-1505. Monday's crash occurred in a dance studio parking lot.
Beginning in May 2027, the rules will tighten further. Riders between the ages of 8 and 15 will need to complete an online state safety course and obtain a Personal Electric Vehicle Safety Certificate before operating e-scooters on public streets without adult supervision, per information from Draper City. The rules also establish this certification requirement.
A Statewide Surge in Youth Scooter Injuries
Monday's crash lands amid a sharp rise in youth micromobility injuries across Utah. Emergency departments statewide treated 536 e-bike and e-scooter injuries in 2025, and Primary Children's Hospital reported a nearly 67% single-year surge in youth micromobility trauma cases, according to KPCW. That local spike mirrors a national trend: a September analysis of federal Consumer Product Safety Commission data found that U.S. e-scooter injuries among youth aged 11 to 14 doubled in 2025 to 18,207, and that 33,404, or 20.2 percent, of e-scooter injuries involved head injuries, per ERideHero.
Utah has already seen tragedy tied to this trend this year. In August, two 13-year-old girls riding an electric scooter were killed in a collision with a pickup truck hauling a trailer near Syracuse High School, a crash previously reported by Hoodline. That same month, a 14-year-old boy in Roy suffered serious injuries after being struck by a car while riding an e-scooter, according to KSL TV.
South Jordan's Ongoing Push Near School Corridors
The crash occurred near Bingham High School in South Jordan, in a parking lot near 10400 South and 2200 West.
The article also mentions age limits, sidewalk rules, and parking-lot hazards near local schools. The collision occurred despite the teenager legally riding the scooter, and police did not cite the driver.
