A man riding an e-scooter was left with life-threatening injuries Sunday afternoon after a Covington public works vehicle struck him near 19th and Augustine streets, police said. The crash happened around 1:30 p.m. and the injured rider was rushed to UC Hospital.
According to WLWT, police said the driver of the city vehicle was completely cooperative following the collision. Both the Covington Police Department's traffic unit and its evidence collection unit are now investigating how the crash happened, the station reported.
A Familiar Scene for Covington Streets
This isn't the first time a Covington e-scooter rider has ended up in critical condition after a run-in with a vehicle. In 2024, a person riding an electric scooter was hit by a car at Scott Street and Park Place, according to Fox19, which reported the rider suffered serious injuries and was pinned under the vehicle for a short time before being freed.
That driver also stayed at the scene and cooperated with investigators, the outlet noted, and by around 6:15 p.m. that evening, police said the injured rider had stabilized and was in stable condition at UC Medical Center. No charges were reported in that earlier case, and the roadway reopened once the investigation wrapped up.
City Officials Already Reviewing Scooter Safety
The crash lands just weeks after Covington leaders moved to take a closer look at how e-bikes and e-scooters are regulated around the city. The Covington Board of Commissioners approved a motion directing the city manager, with help from the police department, to review existing safety measures, according to LinkNKY.
Mayor Ron Washington directed city staff to investigate whether additional safety protocols or regulations might be appropriate, with particular attention to areas near schools, the outlet reported. The review was intended to examine e-bike and e-scooter collisions, complaints, unsafe riding behavior and other reported interactions over the prior six months, especially in school zones.
LinkNKY noted that no new policies were enshrined into law at that meeting — the vote simply authorized a study, not immediate rule changes. The outlet also framed the issue as a growing regional concern, reporting that e-bike and e-scooter use has increased and that several nearby cities have already begun implementing stricter controls.
WCPO separately reported that Covington was conducting a study aimed at improving pedestrian safety involving e-bikes and e-scooters, with a focus on areas near the city's schools, according to the station's coverage of the initiative.
Sunday's collision at 19th and Augustine streets does not fall within a school zone based on the information released so far, and police have not said what caused the crash or whether any citations are expected. The extent of the injured rider's condition beyond the initial life-threatening diagnosis has not been updated publicly.
