A woman suffered several broken bones over the weekend after she crashed her rental moped in Oak Bluffs.
A woman suffered several broken bones over the weekend after she crashed her rental moped in Oak Bluffs.
Shortly before 5 p.m. Sunday, Monica Torres was driving a moped near the roundabout with her daughter on the back when she crashed, according to an Oak Bluffs police report.
Ms. Torres told officers she was driving east on Edgartown Road when she entered the roundabout. The moped slipped on loose sand, lost control and hit the curb.
She suffered a broken right collar bone, five broken ribs and a bruised lung, according to the report. She was brought to Martha’s Vineyard Hospital for her injuries. The daughter had minor injuries to her right knee.
Comments
Thank you for running this
Mr. B. ChilmarkThank you for running this story. I urge you to consider that the island would be well served, as would the general public good, by your covering every single moped/electric bike/electric scooter accident that occurs.
I'm sorry they had to
Aretha Taylor West TisburyI'm sorry they had to experience that. I really hope the mom is feeling better and heals up soon! Mopeds are dangerous and I pity our unsuspecting and inexperienced visitors who don't know the true danger. Just because you CAN rent out mopeds doesn't mean you SHOULD, especially in light of the many alternatives available here.
Moped rentals has been a
Josh VHMoped rentals has been a hotly debated topic as far as I can remember, almost 50 years. Bottom line up front - they're dangerous and similar to bicycles and even motorcycles, but they're different. I don't think banning them and killing a solid, viable business on island is the answer. It goes to operator error....
The problem is familiarity with operating on island, in varying road conditions, poor attention to their surroundings, and the vagaries of 2 wheels vs 4 and a car/stable platform. I would argue there are plenty of bicycle accidents as well.
I suggest giving moped renters a short operator course where they have to drive it on a course and show their familiarity with how to operate a moped. That will take more space and effort - and a motorcycle license or moped operator course from off island should preclude that - but I think it will help to prevent many accidents. Broken bones also teach people valuable lessons and are better than a more serious injury. But still not ideal.... It still goes back to operator error and the potential risk is still similar for those familiar and unfamiliar, along with other "distractions"...
[READ THE BUMPER STICKER]
Diplomat Dan[READ THE BUMPER STICKER]
MOPEDS KILL
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