Delaware County township underscores electric scooter ban after 12-year-old’s death in crash with car
A local ordinance bans electric scooters on all township streets and sidewalks, Ridley Township commissioners said.
After a 12-year-old died and an 11-year-old was critically injured when an automobile driver struck their electric scooter last month, a Delaware County community is reminding residents of a township-wide scooter ban.
Ridley Township commissioners released a statement Thursday reiterating that a local ordinance bans electric scooters on all township streets and sidewalks.
“The Ridley Township Police Department will be enforcing this ordinance,” commissioners wrote. “Violators may be subject to citations and/or confiscation of the scooter.”
The announcement comes after the June 14 incident that claimed the life of Abigail Gillon and seriously injured her friend, Isabella Jones, when a driver struck their electric scooter near the area of Lehr Boulevard and Concord Road in Aston.
Both girls were transported to Nemours Children’s Hospital in Delaware, where Gillon, an incoming seventh grader in the Ridley School District, died from her injuries.
The driver stayed on the scene and cooperated with a police investigation, according to Aston police. The status of the investigation was not clear.
Both Gillon and Jones were active members of local swimming teams. A verified GoFundMe for Gillon’s family raised more than $89,000, while one for Jones’ recovery has surpassed $66,000.
“Bella is going to have a very long recovery, 6 months or more physically,” wrote an individual identifying as Jones’ cousin on the page. “Emotionally and mentally she’s never going to be the same and she is going to need all the support and love she can get.”
Electric scooters are illegal to use on public streets across Pennsylvania. However, state lawmakers introduced legislation last year that would give e-scooter riders similar privileges to cyclists.