TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON—Parents are calling for increased caution from both drivers and pedestrians after a crash involving a car and an electric scooter left one child injured at the intersection of Washington Avenue and Colonial Boulevard.
According to police, the crash occurred on Tuesday, Sept. 17 at approximately 4:11 p.m. Township of Washington police were dispatched to the intersection following reports of a collision between a vehicle and a scooter.
Upon arriving, officers determined that the car was stopped on Colonial Boulevard, preparing to make a right turn onto eastbound Washington Avenue. A female child riding an electric scooter was traveling eastbound on the north side of Washington Avenue, against the flow of traffic. She was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.
The police report stated that the driver looked right, then left, before pulling out at approximately 5 mph, striking the scooter with the front of the vehicle. The child sustained injuries to her back and left leg, as well as facial lacerations.
Traffic was diverted amid the emergency response.
Township police reminded residents that in New Jersey, those operating bicycles, scooters, skateboards, electric bicycles, or electric scooters must ride in the same direction as traffic and obey all state and local driving laws. Helmets are mandatory for individuals under the age of 18.
In the wake of the incident, parents took to social media to express their concerns about safety at the intersection, urging one another to remind their children to look both ways and wear helmets. Many are also calling on drivers to be more cautious, emphasizing the need to check both directions before proceeding through intersections.
The condition of the injured child has not been released, and police continue to investigate the crash.