A 12-Year-Old Died on an E-Bike. Is the Manufacturer to Blame?
Full disclosure, I have a Rad Power bike (mini 4), among many other bikes. It has a 750w motor and accelerates really fast if you give it the beans. It’s a dangerous vehicle if you don’t keep your wits about you. I never let my adult friends ride it without a stern safety briefing beforehand.<p>So, first, why were an 11 and 12 year old allowed to use a powerful ebike unsupervised? On a big hill, no less. Rad says their bikes are for people 18 and up, yet the parents say the bike belonged to one of the kid’s 13 year old sister.<p>Second, there is a tiny bit of skill involved in properly tightening a quick release; just because it came loose doesn’t rule out human error. Third, disc brakes and a quick release on the front wheel is a known safety hazard? A staggering number of bikes have that setup. If it’s truly as dangerous as the plaintiffs say, literally hundreds of thousands of bikes will need to be taken off the road.<p>This is a tragic loss for that family, but I’m failing to see how Rad is to blame to the extent they allege.