Chicago Teen, 16, Dies in 3rd E-Scooter Fatality This Year as Safety Fears Grow
Updated
Updated · Chicago Tribune · Aug 6
Chicago Teen, 16, Dies in 3rd E-Scooter Fatality This Year as Safety Fears Grow
3 articles · Updated · Chicago Tribune · Aug 6
Summary
Alex Blacio, 16, died after his Lime scooter collided with a semi-truck around 3:30 p.m. Monday on North Western Avenue, a stretch his family said lacked a bike lane.
His death is at least Chicago’s third teen e-scooter fatality this year, arriving as the city logged a record 13 million shared bike and scooter trips last year.
Doctors at UChicago Medicine and Northwestern said severe scooter injuries have surged, with children making up roughly half of crash cases nationwide and boys under 18 accounting for about 70% of pediatric injuries in one Johns Hopkins study.
Illinois lawmakers have already passed a statewide e-bike and e-scooter framework awaiting Gov. JB Pritzker’s signature, including a minimum rider age of 16 and stricter rules for vehicles capable of more than 28 mph.
Blacio’s family has held vigils at Western and Belle Plaine and started a GoFundMe, while advocates say the crash underscores how riders can face deadly risks on busy streets without protected infrastructure.