YouTube Star Emily Hartridge Dies At 35 In Bizarre Electric Scooter Accident
She was the first person in Britain to die in a scooter accident.
Getty A popular British television host and YouTube personality has died in an electric scooter accident. Emily Hartridge was riding an electric scooter in London last week when she was involved in a collision with a truck in a confusing traffic circle. Police said the 35-year old social media star died at the scene. Scooters have been implicated in accidents and injuries before. Researchers in the United States estimate that 20 people are inured for every 100,000 scooter trips and many of this injuries are head injuries. Experts recommend using scooters on bike lanes and always earring a helmet when riding one.
Emily is thought to be the first person in Britain to die in an electric scooter accident.
How did Emily Hartridge die? Read on for all the details.
1. Emily
Hatridge was a popular YouTuber who rose to fame with her series of 10 Reasons Why… videos that tackled subjects ranging from sex and relationships to stories about her personal life. Her YouTube fame led to opportunities in television and she was a presenter for Channel 4 programs like Oh Sh*t I’m 30 and Sketch My Life.
She had recently started sharing details of her struggles to conceive a child with her boyfriend Jake Hazell. Hazell made frequent appearances in her videos and he actually gifted her the scooter she was riding at the time of her death. She was 35-years-old.
Hartridge was known for bold content.
2. Accident
On July 12, Emily was riding an electric scooter hen she was involved in a collision with a truck in a London intersection. According to the police report, “Police were called at 08:36hrs on Friday, 12 July to reports of an electric scooter being in collision with a lorry at Queenstown Road, junction with Battersea Park Road SW8. Officers and London Ambulance Service attended. A woman in her 30s had suffered serious injuries and was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.” The Guardian reports that the site of the crash was a traffic circle that had been redesigned in 2015 to separate bicycle traffic from automobile traffic, but some had complained that it was confusing. A cyclist died there in 2018. It is unknown whether Emily was riding in the bike section of the circle or not. Scooters are not legally permitted on road with cars in England.
The scooter was a gift from her boyfriend.
3. Announcement
Her death was revealed to her fans by a post on Instagram. The simple graphic read:“This is a horrible thing to have to say over Instagram but we know many of you were expecting to see Emily today and this is the only way to contact you all at once,” the statement said. “Emily was involved in an accident yesterday and passed away. We all loved her to bits and she will never be forgotten.” The statement went on to say: “She has touched so many lives it’s hard to imagine things without her. She was a very special person xxx.”
Comments immediately began coming in saying things like “My heart goes out to Emily’s family and friends. Such a shock. Sending you love and prayers.” and “Emily is one of the most genuine, kind, funny, intelligent souls I’ve ever met, i am so heartbroken to hear this. Sending all the love I can possibly send to your family.”
Emily died at the scene of the accident.
4. Scooters
Electric scooters have become a popular means of getting around in cities over the past few years. Several companies offer rentals on scooters that start at $1 for the first minute and just a few cents for every minute after that. The scooters are dockless, meaning they can be picked up and dropped off anywhere within the user's area, so renters can simply step off the soccer once they arrive at their destination, without having to worry about returning it to a specific location later.
Scooters are a popular alternative to bike share.
5. Injuries
As popular as the scooters are, they have some risks. Injuries aren’t uncommon. Because scooters have no safety features at all, they leave riders vulnerable to impact. In a 2018 report on the rise of scooters,VOX spoke to Natasha Trentacosta, an orthopedic surgeon in Los Angeles studying electric scooter-related injuries. She said: “We’re seeing these injuries daily, and at least once or twice a week we’re seeing someone who needs an urgent surgery. These can be life-changing injuries, and they can often be prevented.” In a 2019 report, the CDC identified 271 people with potential scooter-related injuries from September 5th through November 30th, 2018. The team estimated that comes to 20 individuals injured per 100,000 e-scooter trips taken during the three-month period. Moreover, half of the people included sustained head injuries. Fifteen percent experienced traumatic brain injuries. The study revealed that only one of the injured people was wearing helmet.
6. Caution
The CDC study revealed that there is an easy fix for some of the injuries people sustain on scooters: “These injuries may have been preventable. Studies have shown that bicycle riders reduce the risk of head and brain injuries by wearing a helmet. Helmet use might also reduce the risk of head and brain injuries in the event of an e-scooter crash.” Scooter companies haven't addresses the helmet issue but perhaps in the wake of this fatality, the conversation about scooter safety will take on more urgency.
Helment use would reduce injuries.
We all send our condolences to Emily’s family at this difficult time.
Rebekah Kuschmider has been writing about celebrities, pop culture, entertainment, and politics since 2010. Her work has been seen at Ravishly, Babble, Scary Mommy, The Mid, Redbook online, and The Broad Side. She is the creator of the blog Stay at Home Pundit and she is a cohost of the weekly podcast The More Perfect Union.