The Oakland County Sheriff's Office was investigating a crash this week involving an electric motorcycle and a pickup that left the Rochester Hills rider with serious injuries.
The crash happened about 7:25 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15 on West Avon Road near Old Perch Road in Rochester Hills, according to the sheriff’s office.
Speed didn't appear to be a factor, but it also appeared that the truck didn't obey the traffic light, according to a sheriff's office spokesman.
Witnesses reported the Ford Ranger entered the intersection against a red traffic signal, according to a news release.
A 42-year-old Rochester Hills man had been riding his e-moto, without a helmet, on the sidewalk and
began crossing West Avon at the intersection when the crash with the 2009 Ranger hit him, driven by a Village of 20-year-old Lake Orion man. A vehicle was blocking the crosswalk, causing the e-moto rider to travel outside the crosswalk and into the path of the truck.
The truck driver and a passenger, a 20-year-old Rochester Hills woman, were not hurt.
The sheriff's office noted that “investigators determined the electric motorcycle was not registered and was not legally permitted to be operated on either the sidewalk or roadway."
The crash comes as more concerns have been raised about e-moto and e-bike use and communities move to enact new restrictions. Bloomfield Township trustees, for instance, voted on Monday in favor of a six-month e-bike moratorium in township-controlled areas for those 15 and younger.
In the sheriff's office release about the crash, Sheriff Mike Bouchard called for legislative action.
"Obviously, we are seeing more crashes and dangerous situations from e-bikes and e-motos,” he said. “The Legislature must pass better guard rails on where, how, and who can operate these vehicles, as well as require disclosure to potential buyers about where, how, and who may operate them."
Eric D. Lawrence is the senior car culture reporter at the Detroit Free Press, and he also writes about recreational vehicles, boats and bikes. Send your tips and suggestions to elawrence@freepress.com. Become a subscriber. Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: E-moto, truck crash leaves Rochester Hills man with serious injuries
