E-scooter rider ‘was warned over illegal use’ before death

A TEENAGE e-scooter rider who died after colliding with a car had been given a warning for riding illegally two months before his death, an inquest heard.

George Mcgowan, 19, collided with a Volkswagen EOS and was thrown into the air on Leominster Road in Portsmouth on June 12.

He died from a traumatic brain injury 10 days later.

He was not wearing a helmet and yesterday an inquest in Portsmouth heard that a pair of broken Airpods and a carry case were found at the scene.

Laura Bailey, a forensics expert, told Portsmouth coroners’ court that Mcgowan’s e-scooter was privately owned and as he was in a public place he was “therefore riding an illegal motor vehicle at the time of the collision”.

She said that he had owned the e-scooter for around three months and rode it almost daily.

He was aware that his use of the vehicle

‘He did not appear to slow before crossing. It’s likely he was listening to music on earpods at the time’

was illegal, Ms Bailey said, as he had been “stopped two months previously and given a warning for using [his e-scooter] within a public place”.

The inquest heard that the teenager had been riding along a footpath before he went to cross the road and “it appears [he] failed to complete a check of his safety margins before entering the road”, where vehicles were parked, restricting visibility.

Robert James, a pedestrian witness, said that he “did not appear to slow before crossing”.

Ms Bailey said that the car was estimated to be driving at between 17mph and 20 mph along the 20 mph-limit road before it struck Mr Mcgowan, and the driver had less than one second to react.

Rosamund Rhodes-kemp, the Hampshire coroner, concluded that Mr Mcgowan died as the result of a road traffic collision, said: “He doesn’t appear to have checked to see if any vehicles were coming.

“It’s likely he was listening to music on earpods at the time.” Addressing his mother, Marie White, she said: “George seemed a lovely lad. I’m very sorry.”