Man first on the scene of e-bike accident says rider faceplanted, suffered traumatic injury

Photo / Getty Images

A witness to an electric bike crash watched a rider faceplant onto a road, leaving his skin “torn up on the tarmac”.

Jason Hebron, who is also a cyclist, wonders if the Auckland e-bike user, who suffered serious injuries in the weekend spill, might have been less hurt wearing a late-model helmet fitted with a brim.

The injured rider was rushed to hospital on Saturday evening after crashing near the intersection of Buckley and Selwyn Rds in Epsom.

Police were notified about 6.10pm.

Hato Hone St John said the rider was taken to Auckland City Hospital in a serious condition.

The accident happened on the intersection of Buckley and Selwyn Rds, Epsom. Photo/ Google Maps

Hebron said he and his son had driven up from the capital when they saw the accident.

“The guy was coming down the road on his e-bike and then just crashed… I can’t remember how, but he faceplanted straight on to the road... there was a lot of blood," he said.

“It was pretty bad... I had to help slow his breathing. I hope the guy’s doing okay.”

He said multiple cars stopped to help.

“One of the first to help was a woman just driving past who actually ended up being a nurse, so he was really lucky,” Hebron said.

“Two more doctors also happened to stop and help... the ambulance and police arrived about 30 minutes later.”

Hebron said the rider’s helmet was “a simple dome one” and believed if it had a brim at the front, his face might have been spared from severe injury.

“It was not fit for purpose… his face was torn up on the tarmac.

“All that style helmet really provides is a false sense of security.”

He said the dome-style helmet tended to be made from hard polystyrene foam and didn’t include a hard plastic brim at the front and back.

Hebron experienced a cycling accident of his own in 2019, when he hit a rock and flew over the bike’s handlebars.

“My face was okay because my [brimmed] helmet broke my fall. I ended up with just a broken elbow… it could have been a lot worse.”

Another cyclist suffered serious injuries in Christchurch over the weekend, after a crash with a car.

On February 2, a cyclist died after colliding with a car in Marlborough.