A 45-year-old Vineland man has died after the e-scooter he was riding was struck by an SUV late Thursday night, in a crash that remains under investigation with no criminal charges filed as of Monday. Angel Tirado suffered life-threatening injuries in the collision and was pronounced dead after being rushed to a nearby hospital.
According to WPG Talk Radio 95.5 FM, the Vineland Police Department responded to the area of East Chestnut Avenue and South 7th Street at 11:11 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 1. Police say Tirado was traveling eastbound on his e-scooter when a black 2007 Mercury Mountaineer, driven by 37-year-old Vineland resident Karon S. Evans, struck him. Investigators determined that Evans had been traveling eastbound in the outside lane behind another vehicle before switching into the inside lane, where the collision occurred.
Tirado was taken to Inspira Hospital of Vineland, where he was pronounced dead, according to the same report. A separate account from Daily Voice similarly described Tirado as a 45-year-old Vineland man who died after being struck while riding an e-scooter, noting that he suffered life-threatening injuries before being pronounced dead at the hospital.
Investigation Continues, No Charges Filed
As of Monday, the crash remained under investigation and no criminal charges had been filed, Daily Voice reported. The Vineland Police Department's Traffic Unit has taken over the crash investigation, per the WPG Talk Radio report, and police have asked anyone with information to call (856) 691-4111.
New Jersey law defines a low-speed electric scooter as a device with a floorboard that can be stood upon, handlebars, and an electric motor capable of propelling it — with or without human propulsion — at speeds under 19 miles per hour, according to the New Jersey Legislature. That classification places e-scooters in a different legal category than electric bicycles or motorcycles, a distinction that has come up in other recent New Jersey crashes involving battery-powered two-wheelers.
Part of a Pattern of Roadway Crashes Involving E-Scooters
Tirado's death adds to a string of recent New Jersey crashes involving e-scooters and similar vehicles. In Bloomingdale, a crash in late July sent an e-scooter rider to a trauma center, according to NorthJersey.com. And in Franklin Township in August, a 19-year-old was identified after a fatal Route 27 crash that police initially described as involving an e-bike before a follow-up investigation determined he had actually been riding an electric motorcycle, per News 12 New Jersey.
Earlier this year, an alleged drunk driver was charged in an Ocean County crash that injured an electric-scooter rider who was thrown off the scooter and dragged a short distance under a pickup truck, according to prosecutors cited by NJ.com. That rider was treated and released. No comparable charging decision has been announced in Tirado's case as the Vineland investigation continues.
The New Jersey State Police maintains fatal-crash statistics for the state, but cautions that the figures are unofficial and subject to change until each case is completed by its Fatal Accident Investigation Unit, according to the agency's own website. That caveat underscores why официальные details in Tirado's case — including whether charges will ultimately be filed against Evans — remain unresolved for now.
