An 18-year-old woman tragically lost her life Thursday evening after being struck by a car while riding an electric scooter in Mechelen, Belgium.
The victim, a resident of Beringen, was pronounced dead at the scene despite efforts to resuscitate her. Her 19-year-old friend, who was accompanying her, sustained serious injuries and was rushed to the hospital.
According to Dirk Van de Sande, spokesperson for the Rivierenland police zone, the collision occurred when the two women were riding the electric scooter on a road that lacked a designated cycle path.
The driver of the car struck the scooter from behind before fleeing the scene of the crash. Authorities launched an immediate investigation, and surveillance camera footage later revealed the driver to be a 36-year-old man from Keerbergen.
The incident has raised significant questions about the safety of electric scooter riders, particularly on roads without proper infrastructure, and the circumstances surrounding the driver’s actions.
While police have not yet determined whether the two women were both on the scooter at the time of the crash, the investigation is ongoing.
Tragically, before authorities could arrest the driver, he took his own life approximately 90 minutes after the collision. Police discovered his body on the E314 highway in Holsbeek, a neighboring area.
The driver had not been questioned by the police, and it remains unclear whether he had been driving under the influence at the time of the accident. Speeding has been confirmed as a contributing factor in the crash, but toxicology reports are still pending.
Local media reports indicate that the road where the incident occurred lacked a separate cycle lane, forcing the two women to share the road with motor vehicles.
This lack of infrastructure has once again highlighted the ongoing concerns about the safety of cyclists and scooter riders on Belgian roads.
The deadly accident has left the local community shaken, as the victim’s family and friends mourn her loss. The 19-year-old friend, though seriously injured, is expected to survive and is receiving medical treatment for her wounds.
This tragic event underscores the dangers faced by electric scooter riders, who are increasingly using these vehicles for short commutes in urban areas.
As electric scooters become more popular in Belgium and around the world, questions about the adequacy of road infrastructure and safety regulations for riders continue to grow.
As the investigation into the crash continues, local authorities are urging drivers to exercise caution and for municipalities to consider safer infrastructure solutions to protect vulnerable road users like cyclists and scooter riders.
The tragic death of the young woman and the circumstances surrounding the driver’s actions have sparked renewed calls for improved road safety measures to prevent such incidents in the future.