Teen charged after e-bike crash kills eight-year-old
Weeks after an eight-year-old boy was killed in a e-bike crash, police have charged a teenager with a number of offences following an investigation.
Source: AAP
A teenager has been charged over an e-bike crash that killed an eight-year-old boy and sparked calls for law reforms.
The 15-year-old boy was arrested almost three weeks after Zeke Hondow died following a collision with another e-bike rider on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.
The crash at Mountain Creek on October 30 marked south-east Queensland’s second e-bike fatality in a month.
The tragedy renewed calls for the Queensland government to toughen legislation, weeks after it completed public hearings for a parliamentary inquiry into e-mobility safety and use.
After the fatal accident in his Sunshine Coast electorate of Buderim, state Transport Minister Brent Mickelberg in October described it as a “complex issue”.
“We’ve seen rapid evolution of this technology very quickly, but I think it’s fair to say that governments at all levels need to do more to tackle this,” he said.
Queensland Police said after the crash that they would investigate whether the e-bikes involved were modified, with both riders wearing helmets.
Devices were being modified faster than law enforcement could keep up, police said.
“Most police services around Queensland and the country are dealing with issues that are created by these high-powered e-bikes,” Chief Inspector Jason Overland said.
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The 15-year-old boy was arrested on Tuesday and charged with dangerous operation of vehicle causing death, unlicensed driving, unregistered vehicle and uninsured vehicle.
He will appear in Maroochydore Children’s Court on November 26.
-with AAP
