Priest pleads for action on e-scooters after tragic death
Janis Ozols' funeral took place on Monday 6 July at the Holy Family Church, Askea
A LOCAL priest at the funeral Mass of a teenager who tragically died after an e-scooter accident has appealed to the Road Safety Authority to “make arrangements” to improve the safety of the scooters.
Last week, 17-year-old Janis Ghirghircic Ozols from Willow Park, Carlow town died after falling from an e-scooter he was travelling on with a friend along Carpenters Way.
Fr Thomas Little told those gathered for the funeral Mass at the Holy Family Church, Askea: “We know that everybody here in the church and town that heard of the sudden and sad death of Janis were deeply saddened and shocked.
“We discovered that many other people have suffered terrible accidents from e-scooters. While e-scooters in themselves give a great sense of freedom, a great sense of exhilaration, and a great sense of being able to go from one place to another, it also has serious implications because of safety requirements,” Fr Little said.
Fr Little appealed for the RSA to “come together and make arrangements that they [e-scooters] would become more safe, maybe slowed down a bit more, maybe wear clothing and a helmet. Things that would be needed for the e-scooter.”
In the last fortnight alone, six children have been placed on life support at Children’s Health Ireland, Temple Street as a result of e-scooter-related injuries. As of last Friday, four remained on life support, some still in critical condition.
Darach Crimmins, a consultant neurosurgeon at Temple Street, told RTÉ that e-scooters are now the single biggest cause of head trauma in children.
Fianna Fáil TD for Carlow/Kilkenny Peter ‘Chap’ Cleere said the tragedy “must now serve as a wake-up call”, describing e-scooters as “a growing scourge on many of our communities”.
“It is so dangerous and the people using them often have no helmets, protection or reflective clothing on when using them,” he said.
He is calling on government to strengthen enforcement, improve safety standards and expand Garda powers, drawing a direct comparison to the recent legislative crackdown on illegal scrambler use: “That same proactive approach is now required for e-scooters. Government must not wait for further tragedies before acting.”
The Garda Representative Association has separately called for gardaí to be properly trained and equipped to pursue e-scooters, after an officer was injured in an incident involving a teenager on an e-scooter in Finglas last week.
Under the , e-scooter use is restricted to those aged 16 and over, with a 20kph speed limit. It is also illegal to ride them on footpaths and to carry passengers.
